Bjorn Borg beat Vitas Gerulaitis 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 8-6 in the Wimbledon semi-final, 1977 on grass
Borg was the defending champion and would go onto beat Jimmy Connors in the final to claim the second of his ultimate 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles. Gerulaitis would return to the semis the following year, his best result at Wimbledon, the only Slam where he did not reach a final
Borg won 177 points, Gerulaitis 176
Gerulaitis serve-volleyed off all but 1 first serve and all but 5 seconds. Borg serve-volleyed most of the time off first serves and occasionally off seconds
(Note: I've made educated guesses regarding serve type for a small number of points)
Serve Stats
Borg...
- 1st serve percentage (93/163) 57%
- 1st serve points won (70/93) 75%
- 2nd serve points won (34/70) 49%
- Aces 3, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 3
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (38/163) 23%
Gerulaitis...
- 1st serve percentage (94/190) 49%
- 1st serve points won (70/94) 74%
- 2nd serve points won (47/96) 49%
- Aces 4 (1 second serve)
- Double Faults 9
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (44/190) 23%
Serve Patterns
Borg served...
- to FH 51%
- to BH 38%
- to Body 12%
Gerulaitis served...
- to FH 25%
- to BH 62%
- to Body 13%
Return Stats
Borg made...
- 137 (66 FH, 71 BH), including 29 runaround FHs & 1 return-approach
- 8 Winners (3 FH, 5 BH), including 2 runaround FHs
- 40 Errors, all forced...
- 40 Forced (19 FH, 21 BH), including 4 runaround FHs
- Return Rate (137/181) 76%
Gerulaitis made...
- 122 (58 FH, 64 BH), including 1 runaround FH, 1 runaround BH & 17 return-approaches
- 5 Winners (2 FH, 3 BH)
- 33 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (3 FH, 2 BH)
- 28 Forced (21 FH, 7 BH)
- Return Rate (122/160) 76%
Break Points
Borg 5/20 (8 games)
Gerulaitis 4/11 (9 games)
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Borg 59 (17 FH, 22 BH, 10 FHV, 6 BHV, 4 OH)
Gerulaitis 74 (13 FH, 11 BH, 24 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 17 BHV, 8 OH)
Borg's had 15 from serve-volley points
- 4 first volleys (3 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 11 from second volleys (5 FHV, 4 BHV, 2 OH)
- 8 returns (3 FH, 5 BH), all passes
- FHs - 2 runaround inside-out and 1 dtl
- BHs - 2 cc, 2 dtl and 1 inside-in
- 29 non-return passes (12 FH, 17 BH)
- FHs- 2 cc, 3 dtl, 2 inside-out, 1 inside-in, 2 dtl/inside-out and 2 lobs (1 at net)
- BHs - 7 cc, 4 dtl (1 net-to-net), 3 longline and 3 lobs
- 2 FH inside-out at net
Gerulaitis had 43 from serve-volley points
- 14 first volleys (9 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 4 BHV)
- 23 second 'volleys' (9 FHV, 8 BHV, 5 OH, 1 FH at net)
- 4 third 'volleys' (2 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 FH at net)… the FH at net was a pass
- 1 fourth 'volley' (1 BH at net)
- 1 double re-approach volley (1 OH)
- 5 from return-approach points (2 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH, 1 FH at net)
- 5 returns (2 FH, 3 BH), all passes
- FHs - 1 inside-out (that Borg misjudged and left) and 1 inside-in
- BHs - 2 cc and 1 dtl
- 13 non-return passes (6 FH, 7 BH)
- FHs - 2 cc, 3 dtl, 1 dtl/inside-out
- BHs - 2 cc, 3 dtl, 1 longline at net and 1 lob
- FHs - 1 inside-in and 1 longline/inside-out at net
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Borg 55
- 9 Unforced (2 FH, 2 FHV, 4 BHV, 1 OH)
- 46 Forced (10 FH, 30 BH, 3 FHV, 3 BHV)… including 1 FH and 3 BH running-down-drop-volleys at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 51.1
Gerulaitis 71
- 23 Unforced (4 FH, 4 BH, 6 FHV, 8 BHV, 1 OH)… including 2 FH passes and 1 BH at net
- 48 Forced (12 FH, 19 BH, 10 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 5 BHV, 1 Over Shoulder Lob Retrieval)… including 1 FH running-down-drop-volley at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Borg was...
- 83/129 (64%) at net, including...
- 60/88 (68%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 50/68 (74%) off 1st serve and...
- 10/20 (50%) off 2nd serve
--
- 1/1 return-approaching
- 2/7 (29%) forced back/retreated
Gerulaitis was...
- 138/218 (63%) at net, including...
- 111/171 (65%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 67/90 (74%) off 1st serve and...
- 44/81 (54%) off 2nd serve
--
- 12/17 (71%) return-approaching
- 1/9 (11%) forced back/retreated
Match Report
Probably the best tennis match I've seen.... high quality from start to finish without a single blip... volleying, passing, returning, rallies with at least 1 player at net, touch shots and lobs, anticipation and movement are all on show at highest possible levels. There's some baseline stuff for variety too. And the match is as close as it gets -
Points won - Borg 177, Vitas 176
1st serve points won - Borg 75%, Vitas 74%
2nd serve points won - Both 49%
Unreturned serves - Both 23%
Games with break points - Borg 8, Vitas 9 …. (standard presentation of break points data is Borg 5/20, Vitas 4/11... which is deceptive without the games marked)
Compare this with another match of comparable, sky high quality, Rafter-Agassi Wimbledon semi 2000 -
Points won - Rafter 162, Agassi 157
First serves in - Rafter 59.9%, Agassi 59.9%.
First serve points won - Rafter 69%, Agassi 69.2%
Second serve points won - Rafter 59.7%, Agassi 59.0%
Games with break points - Rafter 7, Agassi 7... (Rafter 5/12, Agassi 4/9)
In the 2000 match, spellbindingly good tennis was limited to Rafter's service games and the subsequent volley vs pass battle. in the '77 match, all games are high end. Vitas' service games perhaps a bit more - he is the more stylish and fluent net player (though not necessarily better. More on that later) and Borg clearly the stronger passer
Even matches that are overall very close tend to not be so over different segments. Here though, its neck and neck throughout
Off play, Vitas serve-volleys virtually 100% of the time and comes in regularly at other times. His finishing ability in the forecourt is the aesthetic highlight of the match. Borg serve-volleys most of the time off first serves and takes to doing so off second serves significantly too. His volleying is less clean than Vitas' - there are few players whose wouldn't be - but if anything, he's more secure up front. On the pass, Borg's are the better, though Vitas' are also good,
In numbers, the players' frequency of serve-volleying is -
- Vitas off 1st serve - 99%
- Vitas off 2nd serve - 94%
- Borg off 1st serves - 76%
- Borg off 2nd serves - 30%
Neither player is flawless tactically. Initially Borg seems to err in under-utilizing the lob, allowing Vitas to get in very close and tight to the net. When he redresses this around the third set, Vitas is forced to play from slightly further back in the forecourt and doesn't seem quite as deadly. Vitas under-utilizes chip-charge returning all match and would likely have won the match if he hadn't, all things remaining equal (more likely, it would have caused a change in Borg's tactics as far as frequency of serve-volleying off second serves goes)… still, I would back Vitas to have come out ahead in the scenario
Borg was the defending champion and would go onto beat Jimmy Connors in the final to claim the second of his ultimate 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles. Gerulaitis would return to the semis the following year, his best result at Wimbledon, the only Slam where he did not reach a final
Borg won 177 points, Gerulaitis 176
Gerulaitis serve-volleyed off all but 1 first serve and all but 5 seconds. Borg serve-volleyed most of the time off first serves and occasionally off seconds
(Note: I've made educated guesses regarding serve type for a small number of points)
Serve Stats
Borg...
- 1st serve percentage (93/163) 57%
- 1st serve points won (70/93) 75%
- 2nd serve points won (34/70) 49%
- Aces 3, Service Winners 1
- Double Faults 3
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (38/163) 23%
Gerulaitis...
- 1st serve percentage (94/190) 49%
- 1st serve points won (70/94) 74%
- 2nd serve points won (47/96) 49%
- Aces 4 (1 second serve)
- Double Faults 9
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (44/190) 23%
Serve Patterns
Borg served...
- to FH 51%
- to BH 38%
- to Body 12%
Gerulaitis served...
- to FH 25%
- to BH 62%
- to Body 13%
Return Stats
Borg made...
- 137 (66 FH, 71 BH), including 29 runaround FHs & 1 return-approach
- 8 Winners (3 FH, 5 BH), including 2 runaround FHs
- 40 Errors, all forced...
- 40 Forced (19 FH, 21 BH), including 4 runaround FHs
- Return Rate (137/181) 76%
Gerulaitis made...
- 122 (58 FH, 64 BH), including 1 runaround FH, 1 runaround BH & 17 return-approaches
- 5 Winners (2 FH, 3 BH)
- 33 Errors, comprising...
- 5 Unforced (3 FH, 2 BH)
- 28 Forced (21 FH, 7 BH)
- Return Rate (122/160) 76%
Break Points
Borg 5/20 (8 games)
Gerulaitis 4/11 (9 games)
Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
Borg 59 (17 FH, 22 BH, 10 FHV, 6 BHV, 4 OH)
Gerulaitis 74 (13 FH, 11 BH, 24 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 17 BHV, 8 OH)
Borg's had 15 from serve-volley points
- 4 first volleys (3 FHV, 1 BHV)
- 11 from second volleys (5 FHV, 4 BHV, 2 OH)
- 8 returns (3 FH, 5 BH), all passes
- FHs - 2 runaround inside-out and 1 dtl
- BHs - 2 cc, 2 dtl and 1 inside-in
- 29 non-return passes (12 FH, 17 BH)
- FHs- 2 cc, 3 dtl, 2 inside-out, 1 inside-in, 2 dtl/inside-out and 2 lobs (1 at net)
- BHs - 7 cc, 4 dtl (1 net-to-net), 3 longline and 3 lobs
- 2 FH inside-out at net
Gerulaitis had 43 from serve-volley points
- 14 first volleys (9 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 4 BHV)
- 23 second 'volleys' (9 FHV, 8 BHV, 5 OH, 1 FH at net)
- 4 third 'volleys' (2 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 FH at net)… the FH at net was a pass
- 1 fourth 'volley' (1 BH at net)
- 1 double re-approach volley (1 OH)
- 5 from return-approach points (2 FHV, 1 BHV, 1 OH, 1 FH at net)
- 5 returns (2 FH, 3 BH), all passes
- FHs - 1 inside-out (that Borg misjudged and left) and 1 inside-in
- BHs - 2 cc and 1 dtl
- 13 non-return passes (6 FH, 7 BH)
- FHs - 2 cc, 3 dtl, 1 dtl/inside-out
- BHs - 2 cc, 3 dtl, 1 longline at net and 1 lob
- FHs - 1 inside-in and 1 longline/inside-out at net
Errors (excluding serves and returns)
Borg 55
- 9 Unforced (2 FH, 2 FHV, 4 BHV, 1 OH)
- 46 Forced (10 FH, 30 BH, 3 FHV, 3 BHV)… including 1 FH and 3 BH running-down-drop-volleys at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 51.1
Gerulaitis 71
- 23 Unforced (4 FH, 4 BH, 6 FHV, 8 BHV, 1 OH)… including 2 FH passes and 1 BH at net
- 48 Forced (12 FH, 19 BH, 10 FHV, 1 FH1/2V, 5 BHV, 1 Over Shoulder Lob Retrieval)… including 1 FH running-down-drop-volley at net
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index
(Note 1: All 1/2 volleys refer to such shots played at net. 1/2 volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke numbers)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Borg was...
- 83/129 (64%) at net, including...
- 60/88 (68%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 50/68 (74%) off 1st serve and...
- 10/20 (50%) off 2nd serve
--
- 1/1 return-approaching
- 2/7 (29%) forced back/retreated
Gerulaitis was...
- 138/218 (63%) at net, including...
- 111/171 (65%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 67/90 (74%) off 1st serve and...
- 44/81 (54%) off 2nd serve
--
- 12/17 (71%) return-approaching
- 1/9 (11%) forced back/retreated
Match Report
Probably the best tennis match I've seen.... high quality from start to finish without a single blip... volleying, passing, returning, rallies with at least 1 player at net, touch shots and lobs, anticipation and movement are all on show at highest possible levels. There's some baseline stuff for variety too. And the match is as close as it gets -
Points won - Borg 177, Vitas 176
1st serve points won - Borg 75%, Vitas 74%
2nd serve points won - Both 49%
Unreturned serves - Both 23%
Games with break points - Borg 8, Vitas 9 …. (standard presentation of break points data is Borg 5/20, Vitas 4/11... which is deceptive without the games marked)
Compare this with another match of comparable, sky high quality, Rafter-Agassi Wimbledon semi 2000 -
Points won - Rafter 162, Agassi 157
First serves in - Rafter 59.9%, Agassi 59.9%.
First serve points won - Rafter 69%, Agassi 69.2%
Second serve points won - Rafter 59.7%, Agassi 59.0%
Games with break points - Rafter 7, Agassi 7... (Rafter 5/12, Agassi 4/9)
In the 2000 match, spellbindingly good tennis was limited to Rafter's service games and the subsequent volley vs pass battle. in the '77 match, all games are high end. Vitas' service games perhaps a bit more - he is the more stylish and fluent net player (though not necessarily better. More on that later) and Borg clearly the stronger passer
Even matches that are overall very close tend to not be so over different segments. Here though, its neck and neck throughout
Off play, Vitas serve-volleys virtually 100% of the time and comes in regularly at other times. His finishing ability in the forecourt is the aesthetic highlight of the match. Borg serve-volleys most of the time off first serves and takes to doing so off second serves significantly too. His volleying is less clean than Vitas' - there are few players whose wouldn't be - but if anything, he's more secure up front. On the pass, Borg's are the better, though Vitas' are also good,
In numbers, the players' frequency of serve-volleying is -
- Vitas off 1st serve - 99%
- Vitas off 2nd serve - 94%
- Borg off 1st serves - 76%
- Borg off 2nd serves - 30%
Neither player is flawless tactically. Initially Borg seems to err in under-utilizing the lob, allowing Vitas to get in very close and tight to the net. When he redresses this around the third set, Vitas is forced to play from slightly further back in the forecourt and doesn't seem quite as deadly. Vitas under-utilizes chip-charge returning all match and would likely have won the match if he hadn't, all things remaining equal (more likely, it would have caused a change in Borg's tactics as far as frequency of serve-volleying off second serves goes)… still, I would back Vitas to have come out ahead in the scenario
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