Borg v Kodes (Davis Cup, 1975)

muddlehead

Professional
Wow. This was fantastic. Many thanks for the heads up. HD from Swedish TV w/o commercials. Sweden's first DC with a two man team. Bueno.
 

krosero

Legend
New York Times report:

It was sweet revenge for Borg, who previously had failed to win a major tournament in his home town. He repeatedly flopped in the Stockholm open – the world’s biggest indoor event – and only three weeks ago lost the final of the Masters tournament to Ilie Nastase of Rumania.

“I’m very happy. I finally made it in a tournament like this, which I think surpasses everything else in world tennis,” said Borg, who now lives in Monte Carlo.

“I”ve never been so nervous before a big match. I could only sleep four or five hours in the night, but after the first game I felt very relaxed.”

The young Swede, with his whipping forehand working to near perfection, was in the lead throughout the 1-hour-55-minute match.​

Bud Collins in the Boston Globe:

Usually, with his Western forehand grip and his two-fisted backhand, Borg is a vulnerable volleyer. Yet he didn’t blow a single volley yesterday. His rolling topspin groundies were deadly, keeping Kodes well behind the baseline in the rallies, or passing the Czech when he stormed forward. Bjorn slapped outright winners for 40 percent of his points.

His serve was dynamite, lifting him from the tight spots. Kodes missed too many first serves….

The linoleum court (comparable to Longwood Covered Courts in Boston) is a high-speed surface where Borg and Bengston are at home. “To play in the [hockey] arena, we would have had to put down the slow carpet like we had for the Masters,” said Bergelin. The Czechs would have liked that better.​
 
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