Why did Borg blow his fingers between points?

Z

zic

New User
I've been watching the 1980 Wimbledon final between Borg and McEnroe, and noticed that Borg (and McEnroe, but less frequently) tends to blow (or sniff?!) the fingers of his left (I think) hand between points.

Is there a practical reason for doing this, or is it just a quirk that helps him stay centered between points?
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
LOL> Good one CC. Do you think that monkey and "our" monkey share boogers. LOL

PS: I love the way you enter a thread, kick ass and then say "carry on..." that always makes me chuckle.
 
VGP

VGP

Legend
Yeah, a quirk or a ritual, but an effective one.

If you need to focus and control your breathing during pressure situations, blowing on your hand or fingers helps.

Jim Loehr wrote about it in one of his books, I can't remember which one....

Boris Becker, Gabriella Sabatini and others do it as well.
 
Y

Young Pete

Professional
zic said:
I've been watching the 1980 Wimbledon final between Borg and McEnroe, and noticed that Borg (and McEnroe, but less frequently) tends to blow (or sniff?!) the fingers of his left (I think) hand between points.

Is there a practical reason for doing this, or is it just a quirk that helps him stay centered between points?
Click to expand...

has it ever occured to you why mcenroe blows his fingers b/w point is to dry his hands from sweat?
 
H

Hedges

Guest
It was a common ritual back in the day; you blow on your fingers to dry them off. I even had a coach who suggested it. Such rituals help to focus the mind, he said.

Today, people seem to do the string straightening ritual, and the knocking clay off the shoes thing (even when on hard courts). Talk about OCD!
 
Morpheus

Morpheus

Professional
The overgrips are much better today than the old leather grips of the past. Drying your fingers was necessary (I used the ball a lot) and if you do it enough it becomes a ritual.
 
O

oldguysrule

Semi-Pro
I still blow on my fingers/hands from time to time. Theoritically it was to dry them. No matter what anyone says, leather grips do get slick in hot weather. Now it is more of a habit...much like spinning a racquet.

Does anyone remember putting sawdust or resin in their pocket to soak up sweat on a grip, a la Lendl and maybe Borg?
 
ilovecarlos

ilovecarlos

Professional
Think it was just a ritual...like the way Shriekapova puts the nonexistant hair behind her ears before every serve
 
K. Wilson Moose

K. Wilson Moose

Semi-Pro
CanadianChic said:
When Nadal starts sniffing his fingers between points there would be cause for concern. lol. Sorry, carry on...
Click to expand...

I'll bet he is a "closet" finger butt sniffer, but you would have to ask a professional butt sniffer to be sure. What I can say, from watching all that tugging at his butt, is that I wouldn't want to shake hands with him ;).
 
migjam

migjam

Professional
Back in Borg's day, the pro's used to use straight leather grips, no overwrap because there really wasn't any. Borg as well as a lot of other pros would blow on their fingers and hands to keep them dry. Borg also used to use Rosin powder, which he kept in his pocket, and would rub it on his grip. Lendl used to use sawdust and rub that on his grip and, between games many tournaments would have someone come out and sweep the sawdust off the court.
 
Last edited:
Amone

Amone

Hall of Fame
I first noticed this, watching Pernfors play Senior Tour about a year ago. Long story short, it seems mostly like a habit; how much sweat gets blown off with a little blow on the tips of your fingers? Seems like you'd get more rubbing your hands off, for instance on a towel.
 
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