Bjorn Borg beat John Newcombe 6-2 6-4 in a match that was part of the World Invitational Tennis Classic 1977 on green clay
It was an exhibition tournament featuring 8 players (4 men, 4 women), with each player playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches and the winner being the player to accumulate the most points. Borg was the defending champion
Borg won 62 points, Newcombe 52
(Note: I'm missing two games - one on each man's serve, both won by Borg)
Serve Stats
Borg....
- 1st serve percentage (20/52) 58%
- 1st serve points won (22/30) 73%
- 2nd serve points won (12/22) 55%
- Aces 2
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (11/52) 21%
Newcombe. ...
- 1st serve percentage (37/62) 60%
- 1st serve points won (22/37) 59%
- 2nd serve points won (12/25) 48%
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (2/62) 3%
Serve Pattern
Borg served...
- to FH 48%
- to BH 46%
- to Body 6%
Newcombe served...
- to FH 53%
- to BH 47%
Return Stats
Borg made...
- 58 (32 FH, 26 BH), including 3 runaround FHs and 2 return-approaches
- 2 Errors, comprising...
- 1 Unforced (1 FH)
- 1 Forced (1 BH)
- Return Rate (58/60) 97%
Newcombe made...
- 39 (21 FH, 18 BH), including 4 return-approaches
- 2 Winners (2 FH)
- 9 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (5 FH, 2 BH)
- 2 Forced (2 BH)
- Return Rate (39/50) 78%
Break Points
Borg 4/9 (6 games)
Newcombe 1/4 (2 games)
{Note: Borg's numbers include a deduced 1/1 (1 game) from one of the two games I'm missing. The points won and games are accurate, but he may have had more than just one break point in the game}
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Borg 7 (2 FH, 1 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV, 1 OH)
Newcombe 22 (11 FH, 3 BH, 3 FHV, 3 BHV, 2 OH)
Borg had 1 pass - a BH dtl which clipped the net chord
- one FH was a 3rd ball, the other was dtl
- the FHV was hit from well behind the service line and not a net point and one BHV was a drop volley
Newcombe had 6 passes (4 FH, 2 BH) - FH (2 cc, 1 dtl, 1 lob) and BH (1 cc, 1 dtl), with the cc being a slice
- two returns (2 FH), one a runaround cc and the other a dtl
- other FHs include 1 running-down-a-drop-shot, 1 payed at net, 1 step-in dtl and 2 played from just behind the service line (1 dtl, 1 i-o)
- the non-pass BH was a sharply angled shot
- 1 FHV was a drop volley and 1 was a put away. 1 BHV was the first volley of a serve-volley point while another hit the net chord on its way over
Errors (excluding returns and serves)
Borg 26
- 12 Unforced (1 FH, 8 BH, 1 FHV, 1BHV)
- 14 Forced (5 FH, 8 BH, 1 BHOH)
Newcombe 42
- 26 Unforced (13 FH, 10 BH, 1 FH1/2V, 1 BHV, 1 OH)
- 16 Forced (5 FH, 6 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)
(Note : All half volleys refer to such shots played at net)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
(Stats methodology - "at net" refers to all approaches other than serve-volley, which is in a category of itself)
Borg was 12/27 (44%) at net, including 0/2 on return-approaches and 1/2 when forced back
He had no S/V
Newcombe was 19/26 (73%) at net, including 2/4 on return-approaches and 0/1 forced back
He was 3/6 serve-volleying - all off first serves
Total net points 22/32 (69%)
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Report
Not a very serious match, which perhaps gives rise to a type of action not often seen
In the first set, Newcombe unusually targets the ballyhooed Borg FH, directing 24 serves there, with just 12 to the BH (in the second, he virtually reverses the pattern)
Mostly, he just rolls the serve in (especially in the first set) but does crank it up for all his rare s/v points, which he also directs to the BH 6/6
He also uses a lot of drop shots, which Borg invariably runs down, though that occasionally leaves him at net where he looks characteristically uncomfortable. His net numbers are a poor 44% for the match
Borg is visibly tired as early as mid-way through the first set. It's blindingly sunny and the Swede is glistening with sweat at the start itself. By the 15 minute mark, he a couple of times bends over and supports himself on his racquet in a gesture of feeling the heat
Perhaps for this reason, perhaps because it's an exho, Borg is a lot more aggressive than I've seen him on clay. He looks to use his big FH to command play and frequently ventures to net.... this is certainly not who-blinks-first tennis. He's more aggressive with the BH than usual too, and consequently makes a lot of errors on that wing (by his standard anyway)
He even return-approaches twice, though losing both points. In this match, he clearly favours his FH, which is both safe and powerful
I was interested in looking at Newcombe's shot making as I've not seen much of him before.
He has a sledgehammer FH off his own to match Borg, though it's a lot more error prone. On the BH, he uses slice-drives that many players of that generation favoured
It's an elegant shot though not threatening. Newks makes 10 UEs with it while rarely forcing the action from that wing. The FH yields still more errors, but also dictates play, hits winners and forces Borg errors
A curious habit of Newcombe's is he does his ball toss with 2 balls in hand and holds onto one of them during play. I would think this would hamper his ability to toss precisely... and what would happen if he dropped the ball in his hand in the course of play?
Despite unusual tactics, style and play... ultimately the match comes down to the usual key clay factors: frequency of errors
Borg's remains typically low and Newcombe's is too high to be a serious threat of winning
All in all, an entertaining and unusual match
It was an exhibition tournament featuring 8 players (4 men, 4 women), with each player playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches and the winner being the player to accumulate the most points. Borg was the defending champion
Borg won 62 points, Newcombe 52
(Note: I'm missing two games - one on each man's serve, both won by Borg)
Serve Stats
Borg....
- 1st serve percentage (20/52) 58%
- 1st serve points won (22/30) 73%
- 2nd serve points won (12/22) 55%
- Aces 2
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (11/52) 21%
Newcombe. ...
- 1st serve percentage (37/62) 60%
- 1st serve points won (22/37) 59%
- 2nd serve points won (12/25) 48%
- Double Faults 2
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (2/62) 3%
Serve Pattern
Borg served...
- to FH 48%
- to BH 46%
- to Body 6%
Newcombe served...
- to FH 53%
- to BH 47%
Return Stats
Borg made...
- 58 (32 FH, 26 BH), including 3 runaround FHs and 2 return-approaches
- 2 Errors, comprising...
- 1 Unforced (1 FH)
- 1 Forced (1 BH)
- Return Rate (58/60) 97%
Newcombe made...
- 39 (21 FH, 18 BH), including 4 return-approaches
- 2 Winners (2 FH)
- 9 Errors, comprising...
- 7 Unforced (5 FH, 2 BH)
- 2 Forced (2 BH)
- Return Rate (39/50) 78%
Break Points
Borg 4/9 (6 games)
Newcombe 1/4 (2 games)
{Note: Borg's numbers include a deduced 1/1 (1 game) from one of the two games I'm missing. The points won and games are accurate, but he may have had more than just one break point in the game}
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Borg 7 (2 FH, 1 BH, 1 FHV, 2 BHV, 1 OH)
Newcombe 22 (11 FH, 3 BH, 3 FHV, 3 BHV, 2 OH)
Borg had 1 pass - a BH dtl which clipped the net chord
- one FH was a 3rd ball, the other was dtl
- the FHV was hit from well behind the service line and not a net point and one BHV was a drop volley
Newcombe had 6 passes (4 FH, 2 BH) - FH (2 cc, 1 dtl, 1 lob) and BH (1 cc, 1 dtl), with the cc being a slice
- two returns (2 FH), one a runaround cc and the other a dtl
- other FHs include 1 running-down-a-drop-shot, 1 payed at net, 1 step-in dtl and 2 played from just behind the service line (1 dtl, 1 i-o)
- the non-pass BH was a sharply angled shot
- 1 FHV was a drop volley and 1 was a put away. 1 BHV was the first volley of a serve-volley point while another hit the net chord on its way over
Errors (excluding returns and serves)
Borg 26
- 12 Unforced (1 FH, 8 BH, 1 FHV, 1BHV)
- 14 Forced (5 FH, 8 BH, 1 BHOH)
Newcombe 42
- 26 Unforced (13 FH, 10 BH, 1 FH1/2V, 1 BHV, 1 OH)
- 16 Forced (5 FH, 6 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV, 1 BH1/2V)
(Note : All half volleys refer to such shots played at net)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
(Stats methodology - "at net" refers to all approaches other than serve-volley, which is in a category of itself)
Borg was 12/27 (44%) at net, including 0/2 on return-approaches and 1/2 when forced back
He had no S/V
Newcombe was 19/26 (73%) at net, including 2/4 on return-approaches and 0/1 forced back
He was 3/6 serve-volleying - all off first serves
Total net points 22/32 (69%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report
Not a very serious match, which perhaps gives rise to a type of action not often seen
In the first set, Newcombe unusually targets the ballyhooed Borg FH, directing 24 serves there, with just 12 to the BH (in the second, he virtually reverses the pattern)
Mostly, he just rolls the serve in (especially in the first set) but does crank it up for all his rare s/v points, which he also directs to the BH 6/6
He also uses a lot of drop shots, which Borg invariably runs down, though that occasionally leaves him at net where he looks characteristically uncomfortable. His net numbers are a poor 44% for the match
Borg is visibly tired as early as mid-way through the first set. It's blindingly sunny and the Swede is glistening with sweat at the start itself. By the 15 minute mark, he a couple of times bends over and supports himself on his racquet in a gesture of feeling the heat
Perhaps for this reason, perhaps because it's an exho, Borg is a lot more aggressive than I've seen him on clay. He looks to use his big FH to command play and frequently ventures to net.... this is certainly not who-blinks-first tennis. He's more aggressive with the BH than usual too, and consequently makes a lot of errors on that wing (by his standard anyway)
He even return-approaches twice, though losing both points. In this match, he clearly favours his FH, which is both safe and powerful
I was interested in looking at Newcombe's shot making as I've not seen much of him before.
He has a sledgehammer FH off his own to match Borg, though it's a lot more error prone. On the BH, he uses slice-drives that many players of that generation favoured
It's an elegant shot though not threatening. Newks makes 10 UEs with it while rarely forcing the action from that wing. The FH yields still more errors, but also dictates play, hits winners and forces Borg errors
A curious habit of Newcombe's is he does his ball toss with 2 balls in hand and holds onto one of them during play. I would think this would hamper his ability to toss precisely... and what would happen if he dropped the ball in his hand in the course of play?
Despite unusual tactics, style and play... ultimately the match comes down to the usual key clay factors: frequency of errors
Borg's remains typically low and Newcombe's is too high to be a serious threat of winning
All in all, an entertaining and unusual match
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