Stats for Borg-Connors (1981 USO SF)

[krosero]

Borg d. Connors 6-2, 7-5, 6-4

Borg called this his best big-match performance ever. In some ways that may be true, but he did serve at only 47% (per the New York Times).

He served 13 clean aces -- including three straight from love-40 down at 1-4 in the second.

And he hit one serve at 117 mph (game point for 4-all in the second). Pat Summerall thought only one serve by Tanner at 119 mph had been faster in the tournament.

(In the final Borg served one that CBS measured at 121 mph).

Connors said Borg served “extra-special”. Trabert said he couldn’t remember Borg serving with such authority. Borg thought it was the strongest serving he had done since his fifth set against McEnroe at Wimbledon, when he won 19 straight points on serve -- though he achieved the same stat in a fifth set against Tanner two months later.

Connors’ fastest serve after 16 games was 101 mph.

The match went in straight sets essentially because Borg held from love-40 when Connors had a chance to go up two breaks in the second set; he held again from love-40 when Connors had a chance to go up 3-1 in the third. The first time he did it with three straight aces, as noted above, and four altogether; the second time he did it without any aces.

Borg was 25 and seeded second. Connors was 29 and seeded third.

I think Connors may have been in better shape later, or at other times, in his career. He was sucking wind fairly noticeably after one point.

Newk said that the way for Connors to win was to move Borg around, wait for the short ball, and come in. But he wasn’t doing it, at least not as a plan.

Trabert said that Borg played a very smart match, changing speeds against Connors.

I think Connors started reading Borg’s serve better in the third set.

The match lasted 2 hr. 19 min.

CBS announced the first death threat against Borg as soon as the match was over, and then Borg was informed. The second death threat occurred during the final, and Borg was informed right after leaving the court.

Borg was broken once in the match, at 1-2 in second. Connors was broken 5 times.


My stats:

Borg had 13 aces and 2 doubles.
Connors had 1 ace and 2 doubles.

Borg had 17 winners apart from service: 9 FH, 4 BH, 1 FHV, 1 BHV, 2 overheads.

(I'm missing one point that he won on Connors' serve).

Connors had 21 winners apart from service: 7 FH, 2 BH, 7 FHV, 3 BHV, 2 overheads.

Borg had 2 FH return winners; one was a pass. He had an additional 5 passes (three BH's).

Connors had no winning returns, and 2 FH passes.


Stats by CBS:

At 3-4 in the third, Borg was serving at 49%, Connors at 79%.

At 1-2 in the third, Borg had won 26 of 35 points on first serve, 17 of 37 on "second serves in" (so this stat does not seem to include double-faults).

At 3-all in the third, Connors had won 34 of 64 points on the first, 8 of 18 on "second serves in".

At 2-3 in the third, Borg had 15 "unforced errors" on the FH, 11 on the BH. Connors had 17 on the FH, 14 on the BH. (I don't know if this stat include volleys or just groundstrokes; obviously, it doesn't include double-faults).

[CyBorg]

Borg was at the peak of his abilities in 1981. Such a shame. He was killing Connors and this is the guy who won Wimbledon/US Open the next year. Gah.

[Q&M son]

Thanks for info.

Lucio.

[krosero]

From the Washington Post:

The Washington Post

September 13, 1981, Sunday, Final Edition

Austin Wins Title; McEnroe, Borg in Final;
Gerulaitis, Connors Lose in Semifinals;
McEnroe Struggles to Beat Gerulaiti

BYLINE: By John Feinstein, Washington Post Staff Writer

SECTION: Sports; D1

LENGTH: 1292 words

DATELINE: NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 1981



John McEnroe was lucky and courageous on a day when his skills were not sharp. Bjorn Borg was superb, serving perhaps the best tennis match of his life. But, even though their routes were different, they arrived at the same place tonight: the final of the U.S. Open.

McEnroe, who habitually bemoans the fates, his luck, line calls and various demons that plague his quest for tennis perfection, came away from his struggling 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Vitas Gerulaitis saying: "I was lucky."

Borg, who took the court at the National Tennis Center this evening unaware of a death threat telephoned to the main switch board 90 minutes before his match started, was smiling after his 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 rout of Jimmy Connors.


"I cannot remember the last time I served that well," he said, after recording 15 aces past one of the greatest serve returners the game has ever known. "If I can just serve like that tomorrow . . . "

That's when he plays McEnroe, who ended Borg's 41-match Wimbledon winning streak in the final there, and who has been fighting himself all week. Borg, 7-6 lifetime against McEnroe seems primed for this final.

"There are no secrets when we play," Borg said. "We know what the other one will do and we just go out and play. It should be a great match."

If Borg can serve as he did tonight, he will make it very difficult for McEnroe to win a third straight U.S. Open title. Today, McEnroe escaped only because of his grit and determination and because Gerulaitis could not come up with the one big shot he needed.

In all, Gerulaitis had 15 break points in the match. He converted two. In the final set he had nine break points. He converted none.

"I was just unlucky on those points," Gerulaitis said. "I didn't play the points badly; he just guessed right every time. He had all the luck. In the fifth set when that happens, it's too good. You can't beat that."

The 3 hour 47 minute marathon, which was more brutal than brilliant, ended in a swirl of controversy. On match point, serving at 5-3, 40-15, McEnroe nailed a first serve and Gerulaitis returned it weakly.

But McEnroe, who was unusually tentative at the net all day, almost shanked the easy forehand volley. The ball landed either just in or just out. Gerulaitis saw it out. The line judge, at the the opposite end of the court, called it good.

When there was no out call, Gerulaitis turned pleadingly to umpire Leon Lipp, expecting him to overrrule the linesman. Instead, all he heard was Lipp announcing: "Game, set, match, McEnroe."

"No," Gerulaitis screamed, "the ball was out." He was immediately echoed by many in the record crowd of 18,895, an audience that had loudly supported him throughout the match.

As McEnroe, who had spent much of his afternoon exchanging words with Lipp, stood silently at the net, apparently unsure whether to celebrate or apologize, Gerulaitis continued screaming.

He finished his tirade by shouting an obscenity at Lipp that most in the stands and all in the national TV audience heard. Later, that remark cost Gerulaitis $750. His total of $5,350 in fines this year means he faces a 21-day suspension from the Men's Professional Tennis Council for going over $5,000 in one year.

Finally, realizing his case was hopeless, Gerulaitis turned and shook McEnroe's hand. Lipp, however, wasn't finished. As Gerulaitis exited, Lipp said into the microphone, voice laced with sarcasm, "Goodbye, Mr. Gerulaitis."

"I hate to see a match end like that," Gerulaitis, still angry, said later. "Usually the last point is the most important. The ball was clearly out. There was at least an inch of green between the ball and the line.

"I didn't get robbed, because he might have served an ace on the next point. But the guy (McEnroe) was getting so nervous if I'd made him play the next point I might have gotten back to deuce."

McEnroe saw the call differently, but agreed it was a bad way for the match to end. But he was glad to escape on a warm, windy day when he was often without his best weapon: the first serve. The two men split the first four sets, taking turns playing outstanding tennis.

McEnroe looked home free after winning the second and third sets with ease, losing just 10 points in nine service games. But he slipped and slightly sprained his left ankle while serving at 1-1 in the fourth set. Even though he saved break point and held the game, the momentum began to swing after that delay.

McEnroe had an uphill struggle because while Gerulaitis was serving well, the two-time defending champion was fighting himself. Gerulaitis broke in the fifth game of the fourth. He nailed a backhand down the line to get to break point and then McEnroe stunned himself and everyone else by double faulting for the break.

Gerulaitis served out the set and immediately had three break points in the first game of the final set. But McEnroe came up with an answer each time. In the third game, Gerulaitis had 15-40 and again McEnroe climbed out of the hole.

Then in the fourth game, McEnroe and Lipp engaged in a lively argument when Lipp ordered a point which McEnroe had won replayed. A fan had returned a loose ball in the middle of the point, and Gerulaitis claimed it distracted him.

"I might have done the same thing Vitas did in that situation," McEnroe said. "All I wanted was an explanation. I never got it."

Instead he got a time warning from Lipp and a broken string on his racquet, the result of his banging the racquet on the CBS mike boom directed at him during the conversation. As he returned to the court, McEnroe was booed.

He responded two ways: first by waving his hand as if by acknowledging cheers, second by winning four of the next five points for the crucial break of the match.

"The delay didn't affect me," Gerulaitis said. "I just served a bad game."

In the seventh game, Gerulaitis had four more break points. On the first three, McEnroe came up with saving shots, one a remarkable running crosscourt forehand. On the fourth, following a first serve, he tripped and almost netted a backhand volley. But it caught the net cord and the ball barely slid over.

Connors also had chances in his ninth straight loss to Borg dating back to the 1978 final here, but Borg gave him no chance to convert them. Each time Connors had Borg in trouble, the Swede rifled a serve.

Connors also fought with officialdom today, echoing earlier comments by Gerulaitis and McEnroe that the Open's corps of five line judges (as opposed to Wimbledon's 12) is defective. He screamed at umpire Jay Snyder early in the match when he failed to overrule calls that appeared wrong and called for umpire Mike Blanchard in venting more of his frustration later in the set.

But the line judges were not, as Connors himself said, his undoing. "He just outserved me," Connors said. "Almost every time I had him 0-40 or 15-40, he served his way out of it. I can't remember him serving like that against me."

Neither could Borg. "It's been a long time since I served that well," he said. "From the first game tonight, I was playing well."

Mindful of Wimbledon where he fell two sets down to Connors before coming back, Borg was all over him from the beginning. The match was full of marvelous rallies from the base line, but Borg's serve was the extra weapon he needed.

In the second set, down 1-4 and 0-40, with Connors pumped up, flailing his arms and the crowd right behind him, Borg served his way clear, with four aces in the next five points. Then he broke Connors twice in the next three serving games, each time with a backhand pass to win the set 7-5.

After that it was just a matter of time.

"Am I haunted by him?" Connors snapped when asked the question. "Why should I be. Is he a ghost?"

[krosero]

I have these new stats, and again made minor corrections to the original post.


Borg won 109 points overall, Connors 89.


Borg had 83% success on first serve (38/46) and 52% on second (28/54). He won all 13 points he played on first serve in the third set, comparable to McEnroe going 10 of 10 in the second set of the 1980 final here.

Connors had 58% success on first serve (44/76) and 50% on second (11/22).


Borg served at 46%, making 46 of 100 first serves.
Connors served at 78%, making 76 of 98 first serves.

The winner served more points than the loser, which was not true in any of the other six matches we’ve done for this rivalry (76USO, 77-79 W, 78USO, 81W).


Borg’s percentage by set:
12/28 - 42.9%
21/38 - 55.3%
13/34 - 38.2%


Connors’ percentage by set:
23/28 - 82.1%
31/39 - 79.5%
22/31 - 71.0%


Borg converted 5 of 7 break points, Connors 1 of 12.

Borg got his first serve into play on 7 of 12 break points. The only time he was broken it was on second serve.

Connors got his first serve into play on 6 of 7 break points. He was broken 4 times on first serve, once on second.


Borg drew 24 return errors, Connors 9. Out of those serves I gave Borg 6 service winners, Connors 1.

Borg drew 7 return errors with second serve, Connors 2.


ERRORS (forced and unforced)

Subtracting the winners and aces from the total points won:

Borg made 67 total errors. Of those I counted 9 return errors and 2 double-faults. That leaves him making 56 errors in points that had at least a successful service return, that is, in rallies.

Connors made 79 total errors. Of those I counted 24 return errors and 2 double-faults. That leaves him making 53 errors in rallies.

[Borgforever]

Thanks krosero! Impeccable as usual. Any chance of getting a breakdown of the 76 Wimby final? Or is that my job?

Be that as it may, I thought the umpire made a dismal job in the first set here -- it might not have made a difference in the end -- but the palpable frustration on Connors behalf at the start did severely break his rythm as well as his mood paving the way for a relaxed Björn. IMO Connors was right on all bad calls in the start. Borg said to Swedish reporters after the match (Grive, Hellberg) that Connors was right in protesting and that definitely colored the first set.

Borg said he didn't like winning because of bad luck on the other guy's part -- but he also said that had he involved himself into the conflict it would've broken his concentration. Borg said:"I can't understand why the umpire must be so adamant in a questionable call? Why not just say 'play a let'? There's so much prestige and money and weeks of prep and paying spectators and TV and media -- if they say 'play a let' the situation calms down for everybody involved. I don't understand it quite frankly." Anyone disagree with Borg?

[krosero]

Originally Posted by Borgforever

Thanks krosero! Impeccable as usual. Any chance of getting a breakdown of the 76 Wimby final?

Actually yes, I've got the stats for it already. I'll add up the numbers and post in a few days.

[krosero]

Originally Posted by Borgforever

Thanks krosero! Impeccable as usual. Any chance of getting a breakdown of the 76 Wimby final? Or is that my job?

Be that as it may, I thought the umpire made a dismal job in the first set here -- it might not have made a difference in the end -- but the palpable frustration on Connors behalf at the start did severely break his rythm as well as his mood paving the way for a relaxed Björn. IMO Connors was right on all bad calls in the start. Borg said to Swedish reporters after the match (Grive, Hellberg) that Connors was right in protesting and that definitely colored the first set.

Borg said he didn't like winning because of bad luck on the other guy's part -- but he also said that had he involved himself into the conflict it would've broken his concentration. Borg said:"I can't understand why the umpire must be so adamant in a questionable call? Why not just say 'play a let'? There's so much prestige and money and weeks of prep and paying spectators and TV and media -- if they say 'play a let' the situation calms down for everybody involved. I don't understand it quite frankly." Anyone disagree with Borg?

I didn't mention this back when you posted it, BF, but I like these little bits of information -- they add to the story. Thanks for posting them.

[krosero]

Originally Posted by krosero

Borg had 83% success on first serve (38/46) and 52% on second (28/54). He won all 13 points he played on first serve in the third set, comparable to McEnroe going 10 of 10 in the second set of the 1980 final here.

Connors had 58% success on first serve (44/76) and 50% on second (11/22).

Success on serve in rallies of 2 or more good shots:

Borg 50% on first serve (8/16) and 47% on second (21/45).
Connors 53% on first serve (36/68 ) and 50% on second (9/18 ).

[WCT]

Krosero, a question. When you say after rallies of 2 or more shots, what is the first shot? The return of serve or the shot after? Like if Connors hits a return and Borg hits a clean winner off that return. Is that counted in your stats?

[krosero]

Originally Posted by WCT

Krosero, a question. When you say after rallies of 2 or more shots, what is the first shot? The return of serve or the shot after? Like if Connors hits a return and Borg hits a clean winner off that return. Is that counted in your stats?

The first shot is the serve. So this is a measure of all points in which a serve was successfully returned. It sets aside all aces and double-faults, and all instances in which the returner gets a piece of the racquet on the ball but fails to make a good return.

[krosero]

delete 10 char