John McEnroe beat Mats Wilander 6-3 5-7 6-3 in a Davis Cup final dead rubber, 1984 on an indoor clay court in Gothenburg, Swedan
Wilander's Swedan team had already clinched the title, with Wilander having beaten Jimmy Connors and McEnroe having lost to Henrik Sundstrom in the first leg of singles rubbers. This was the only rubber won by Team USA
(Note: I'm missing serve direction data for 4 Wilander serve points - and McEnroe's corresponding return stat)
McEnroe won 112 points, Wilander 96
Serve Stats
McEnroe....
- 1st serve percentage (56/93) 60%
- 1st serve points won (46/56) 82%
- 2nd serve points won (19/37) 51%
- Aces 9, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned serve percentage (32/93) 34%
Wilander. ...
- 1st serve percentage (81/114) 71%
- 1st serve points won (51/81) 63%
- 2nd serve points won (17/33) 52%
- Aces 1
- Double Faults 3
- Unreturned serve percentage (10/114) 9%
Serve Pattern
McEnroe served...
- to FH 43%
- to BH 53%
- to Body 4%
Wilander served...
- to FH 37%
- to BH 61%
- to Body 2%
Return Stats
McEnroe made...
- 101 (47 FH, 50 BH, 4 ??), including 10 runaround FHs
- 1 Winner (1 FH)
- 9 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (1 FH, 6 BH)
- 2 Forced (1 FH, 6 BH)
- Return Rate (101/111) 91%
Wilander made...
- 57 (24 FH, 33 BH), including 3 runaround FHs
- 3 Winners (2 FH, 1BH) - all passes
- 22 Errors, comprising...
- 4 Unforced (2 FH, 2 BH)
- 18 Forced (10 FH, 8 BH)
- Return Rate (57/89) 64%
Break Points
McEnroe 3/16 (6 games)
Wilander 1/7 (3 games)
Winners (including returns)
McEnroe 37 (9 FH, 8 BH, 8 FHV, 6 BHV, 6 OH)
Wilander 20 (4 FH, 4 BH, 4 FHV, 4 BHV, 4 OH)
(Note: 2 McEnroe winners - a FH and a BHV were not clean winners and have been included as judgement calls)
- for McEnroe, 4 FHVs were S/V points - 2 first volleys, 2 second volleys. 1 first volley was a neat little inside-out drop volley
- 1 FHV was a swinging shot from behind the service line and not a net point
- 4/6 BHVs were S/V points, all of them first volleys and 1 of them Wilander got the lightest of touches on
- 1 other BHV was a drop volley
- 1 OH was hit on the bounce from close to the baseline and another was an excellent shot leaping backwards and struck from behind the service line. The other 3 were regulation OHs
- he had 6 passes (1 FH, 5 BH). 3, including the FH were cc and 3 BHs were dtl. 1 of the BH dtl was a delicate chip
- 1 FH was a shot at net, 1 dribbled over the net while the remaining 6 were all dtl (some slightly inside-out but essentially dtl), including his sole return winner
- of the 3 non-pass BHs - 1 was a sliced drop shot, 1 was a sharply angeled cc and 1 was a would-be inside-out approach shot
- Wilander's only non-pass groundstroke was a FH at net
- he had 7 passes (3 FH, 4 BH).
- 2/3 of the FH passes were returns - 1 dtl and 1 a cc played from well back and fairly wide of the court. The non-return was dtl
- 1 BH pass was a return - an inside-in, 1 was a lob, 1 was a running down a McEnroe drop volley played at net and 1 was dtl from a slightly defensive position
- 3/4 FHVs were played to powerful McEnroe attempted passes - 1 was a well controlled drop volley, 1 was a reflex volley on the stretch and 1 bounced over after hitting the top of the net
- 1 FHV was a first volley from a S/V point, which hit the net and dribbled over
- 1 OH was on the back pedal and 1 was the third OH in a row on the point, after McEnroe made a miraculous get off the previous one
- Note the perfect symmetry of Wilander's winners breakdown
Errors (excluding returns and serves)
McEnroe 63
- 36 Unforced (12 FH, 19 BH, 3 FHV, 2 BHV)
- 27 Forced (10 FH, 14 BH, 1 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 1 BH1/2V)
UE forcefulness index 52.2/20-60
(Note: All half volleys refer to such shots played at net. Groundstroke half volleys have been included within the broader category of groundstrokes)
Wilander 39
- 23 Unforced (10 FH, 11BH, 2 BHV)
- 16 Forced (7 FH, 7 BH, 1 FHV, 1BHV)
UE forcefulness index 45.2/20-60
(Note: the UE forcefulness index is a measure of how aggressive the average UE for a player. 20 is minimum [Passive], 40 is neutral and 60 is maximum [Aggressive])
Net Points & Serve-Volley
McEnroe was 46/60 (77%) at net, including 29/37 serve-volleying (78%) - 28/36 off the first serve
He was 17/23 (74%) on all other approaches
He was forced back from net once but won the point from the baseline
Wilander was 31/42 (73%) at net, including 1/2 serve-volleying
He was 31/42 on all other approaches
He was forced back twice (1 S/V, 1 non-S/V) and won one such point (the non-S/V point)
Match Report
This was an excellent match and a fine demo of McEnroe balancing his aggressive tendencies with sound judgement
McEnroe serve-volleyed 36 times and stayed back 10 times off the 1st serve (in addition to serving 10 aces/service winners) and only S/V'd once off the 2nd
Maybe most tellingly, he returned 91% of Wilander's serves... the highest rate I've seen yet. While Wilander is hardly a big server and seemed to tone down his delivery on the clay, I would primarily credit the American here for an excellent showing on this front
With Mac excelling at S/V, aces and forcing returned serves, the critical part of the match became the baseline-to-baseline scenarios on his 2nd serve points and Wilander's service games
Wilander was the safer player here. There is a solidity about his strokes which make it easy to see why he was so successful on clay. Mac for his part, did not take a step back
He maintained a position on or close to the baseline and was content to rally from there without any undue desire to come forward
Mac's go-to shots to open up the court were the BH cross-court and FH down-the-line. The inevitable errors came mostly from his BH
Wilander looked to move Mac around and for the most part did - but couldn't count on his opponent making an unforced error to end the point. Thus, he was forced to attack a bit more - which left him vulnerable to Mac's go-to groundstrokes and net approaches
I was impressed by Wilander's net play also. He not only looked comfortable at net but was open to seeking out chances to come in. Once there, he volleyed very well - showing both touch and reflexes in putting away winners
Most Wilander holds in the 2nd set were tough affairs but he secured the decisive break against the run of play to push the match into a decider with a couple of excellent returns (and 2 poor volleying errors from his opponent)
The third featured the liveliest play of the match, with Wilander looking to up the ante from the baseline.
Errors from both players were a product of aggresion rather than being worn down and there were a lot more forced errors also
Though safe, Mats had been unable or unwilling to go after Mac's 2nd serve all match... and the final outcome probably tipped on this point
Mac held a 12 point game where he missed his first serve 9 times and in the very next game, Wilander was broken despite making 9/12 first serves
All in all, a fine performance from McEnroe - deadly off his first serve and wise in his baseline play - while Wilander was steady, versatile but unable to maintain the pressure as persistently as he needed
Primary credit to Mac's ability to open the court with moderately aggressive shot choices and exemplary returning
Wilander's Swedan team had already clinched the title, with Wilander having beaten Jimmy Connors and McEnroe having lost to Henrik Sundstrom in the first leg of singles rubbers. This was the only rubber won by Team USA
(Note: I'm missing serve direction data for 4 Wilander serve points - and McEnroe's corresponding return stat)
McEnroe won 112 points, Wilander 96
Serve Stats
McEnroe....
- 1st serve percentage (56/93) 60%
- 1st serve points won (46/56) 82%
- 2nd serve points won (19/37) 51%
- Aces 9, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 4
- Unreturned serve percentage (32/93) 34%
Wilander. ...
- 1st serve percentage (81/114) 71%
- 1st serve points won (51/81) 63%
- 2nd serve points won (17/33) 52%
- Aces 1
- Double Faults 3
- Unreturned serve percentage (10/114) 9%
Serve Pattern
McEnroe served...
- to FH 43%
- to BH 53%
- to Body 4%
Wilander served...
- to FH 37%
- to BH 61%
- to Body 2%
Return Stats
McEnroe made...
- 101 (47 FH, 50 BH, 4 ??), including 10 runaround FHs
- 1 Winner (1 FH)
- 9 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (1 FH, 6 BH)
- 2 Forced (1 FH, 6 BH)
- Return Rate (101/111) 91%
Wilander made...
- 57 (24 FH, 33 BH), including 3 runaround FHs
- 3 Winners (2 FH, 1BH) - all passes
- 22 Errors, comprising...
- 4 Unforced (2 FH, 2 BH)
- 18 Forced (10 FH, 8 BH)
- Return Rate (57/89) 64%
Break Points
McEnroe 3/16 (6 games)
Wilander 1/7 (3 games)
Winners (including returns)
McEnroe 37 (9 FH, 8 BH, 8 FHV, 6 BHV, 6 OH)
Wilander 20 (4 FH, 4 BH, 4 FHV, 4 BHV, 4 OH)
(Note: 2 McEnroe winners - a FH and a BHV were not clean winners and have been included as judgement calls)
- for McEnroe, 4 FHVs were S/V points - 2 first volleys, 2 second volleys. 1 first volley was a neat little inside-out drop volley
- 1 FHV was a swinging shot from behind the service line and not a net point
- 4/6 BHVs were S/V points, all of them first volleys and 1 of them Wilander got the lightest of touches on
- 1 other BHV was a drop volley
- 1 OH was hit on the bounce from close to the baseline and another was an excellent shot leaping backwards and struck from behind the service line. The other 3 were regulation OHs
- he had 6 passes (1 FH, 5 BH). 3, including the FH were cc and 3 BHs were dtl. 1 of the BH dtl was a delicate chip
- 1 FH was a shot at net, 1 dribbled over the net while the remaining 6 were all dtl (some slightly inside-out but essentially dtl), including his sole return winner
- of the 3 non-pass BHs - 1 was a sliced drop shot, 1 was a sharply angeled cc and 1 was a would-be inside-out approach shot
- Wilander's only non-pass groundstroke was a FH at net
- he had 7 passes (3 FH, 4 BH).
- 2/3 of the FH passes were returns - 1 dtl and 1 a cc played from well back and fairly wide of the court. The non-return was dtl
- 1 BH pass was a return - an inside-in, 1 was a lob, 1 was a running down a McEnroe drop volley played at net and 1 was dtl from a slightly defensive position
- 3/4 FHVs were played to powerful McEnroe attempted passes - 1 was a well controlled drop volley, 1 was a reflex volley on the stretch and 1 bounced over after hitting the top of the net
- 1 FHV was a first volley from a S/V point, which hit the net and dribbled over
- 1 OH was on the back pedal and 1 was the third OH in a row on the point, after McEnroe made a miraculous get off the previous one
- Note the perfect symmetry of Wilander's winners breakdown
Errors (excluding returns and serves)
McEnroe 63
- 36 Unforced (12 FH, 19 BH, 3 FHV, 2 BHV)
- 27 Forced (10 FH, 14 BH, 1 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 1 BH1/2V)
UE forcefulness index 52.2/20-60
(Note: All half volleys refer to such shots played at net. Groundstroke half volleys have been included within the broader category of groundstrokes)
Wilander 39
- 23 Unforced (10 FH, 11BH, 2 BHV)
- 16 Forced (7 FH, 7 BH, 1 FHV, 1BHV)
UE forcefulness index 45.2/20-60
(Note: the UE forcefulness index is a measure of how aggressive the average UE for a player. 20 is minimum [Passive], 40 is neutral and 60 is maximum [Aggressive])
Net Points & Serve-Volley
McEnroe was 46/60 (77%) at net, including 29/37 serve-volleying (78%) - 28/36 off the first serve
He was 17/23 (74%) on all other approaches
He was forced back from net once but won the point from the baseline
Wilander was 31/42 (73%) at net, including 1/2 serve-volleying
He was 31/42 on all other approaches
He was forced back twice (1 S/V, 1 non-S/V) and won one such point (the non-S/V point)
Match Report
This was an excellent match and a fine demo of McEnroe balancing his aggressive tendencies with sound judgement
McEnroe serve-volleyed 36 times and stayed back 10 times off the 1st serve (in addition to serving 10 aces/service winners) and only S/V'd once off the 2nd
Maybe most tellingly, he returned 91% of Wilander's serves... the highest rate I've seen yet. While Wilander is hardly a big server and seemed to tone down his delivery on the clay, I would primarily credit the American here for an excellent showing on this front
With Mac excelling at S/V, aces and forcing returned serves, the critical part of the match became the baseline-to-baseline scenarios on his 2nd serve points and Wilander's service games
Wilander was the safer player here. There is a solidity about his strokes which make it easy to see why he was so successful on clay. Mac for his part, did not take a step back
He maintained a position on or close to the baseline and was content to rally from there without any undue desire to come forward
Mac's go-to shots to open up the court were the BH cross-court and FH down-the-line. The inevitable errors came mostly from his BH
Wilander looked to move Mac around and for the most part did - but couldn't count on his opponent making an unforced error to end the point. Thus, he was forced to attack a bit more - which left him vulnerable to Mac's go-to groundstrokes and net approaches
I was impressed by Wilander's net play also. He not only looked comfortable at net but was open to seeking out chances to come in. Once there, he volleyed very well - showing both touch and reflexes in putting away winners
Most Wilander holds in the 2nd set were tough affairs but he secured the decisive break against the run of play to push the match into a decider with a couple of excellent returns (and 2 poor volleying errors from his opponent)
The third featured the liveliest play of the match, with Wilander looking to up the ante from the baseline.
Errors from both players were a product of aggresion rather than being worn down and there were a lot more forced errors also
Though safe, Mats had been unable or unwilling to go after Mac's 2nd serve all match... and the final outcome probably tipped on this point
Mac held a 12 point game where he missed his first serve 9 times and in the very next game, Wilander was broken despite making 9/12 first serves
All in all, a fine performance from McEnroe - deadly off his first serve and wise in his baseline play - while Wilander was steady, versatile but unable to maintain the pressure as persistently as he needed
Primary credit to Mac's ability to open the court with moderately aggressive shot choices and exemplary returning
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