Match Stats/Report - McEnroe vs Borg, Stockholm semi-final, 1978

[Waspsting]

John McEnroe beat Bjorn Borg 6-3, 6-4 in the Stockholm semi-final, 1978 on indoor hard court

McEnroe would go onto win the title, beating Tim Gullikson in the final. This was the first meeting between Borg and McEnroe.

McEnroe won 65 points, Borg 45

McEnroe serve-volleyed off all serves

(Note: I’m missing 1 McEnroe serve point won by McEnroe entirely and another point has been tracked as a first serve ace via audio
Missing points -
- Set 2, Game 5, Point 5 - tracked via audio and marked as a Borg 1st serve ace, with direction of serve unknown
- Set 2, Game 8, Point 1 - a McEnroe service point won by McEnroe)

Serve Stats
McEnroe...
- 1st serve percentage (25/46) 54%
- 1st serve points won (23/25) 92%
- 2nd serve points won (16/21) 76%
- ?? serve points won (1/1)
- Aces 5
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (20/46) 43%

Borg...
- 1st serve percentage (37/63) 59%
- 1st serve points won (26/37) 70%
- 2nd serve points won (12/26) 46%
- Aces 6 (1 possibly not clean)
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (13/63) 21%

Serve Patterns
McEnroe served...
- to FH 24%
- to BH 74%
- to Body 2%

Borg served...
- to FH 41%
- to BH 57%
- to Body 2%

Return Stats
McEnroe made...
- 49 (21 FH, 28 BH), including 6 runaround FHs & 6 return-approaches
- 1 Winner (1 BH)
- 7 Errors, comprising...
- 1 Unforced (1 FH)
- 6 Forced (3 FH, 3 BH)
- Return Rate (49/62) 79%

Borg made...
- 26 (8 FH, 18 BH), including 2 runaround FHs
- 4 Winners (2 FH, 2 BH)
- 15 Errors, all forced...
- 15 Forced (5 FH, 10 BH), including 2 runaround FHs
- Return Rate (26/46) 57%

Break Points
McEnroe 2/7 (2 games)
Borg 0

Winners (including returns, excluding serves)
McEnroe 22 (3 FH, 1 BH, 9 FHV, 6 BHV, 3 OH)
Borg 17 (3 FH, 7 BH, 2 FHV, 4 BHV, 1 OH)

McEnroe had 14 from serve-volley points
- 6 first volleys (3 FHV, 3 BHV)
- 8 second volleys (3 FHV, 2 BHV, 3 OH OH)

- 1 from a return-approach point, an OH

- FHs (all passes) - 1 cc, 1 inside-out and 1 lob
- BH - 1 cc return

Borg had 9 passes - 4 returns (2 FH, 2 BH) & 5 regular (1 FH, 4 BH)
- FH returns - 1 cc and 1 dtl
- BH returns - 2 dtl
- regular FH - 1 cc
- regular BHs - 4 cc

- regular (non-pass) BH - 1 dtl

- 5 from serve-volley points -
- 4 first volleys (4 BHV)
- 1 re-approach volley (1 FHV)

- the other FHV was a non-net shot and
- the OH was on the bounce from the baseline

Errors (excluding serves and returns)
McEnroe 15
- 6 Unforced (1 FH, 4 BH, 1 BHV)
- 9 Forced (6 BH, 2 FH1/2V, 1 BHV)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 45

Borg 21
- 8 Unforced (4 FH, 3 BH, 1 FHV)
- 13 Forced (4 FH, 5 BH, 3 FHV, 1 FH1/2V)
- Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 48.8

(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 are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)

Net Points & Serve-Volley
McEnroe was...
- 45/58 (78%) at net, including...
- 34/41 (83%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 18/20 (90%) off 1st serve and...
- 16/21 (76%) off 2nd serve
---
- 3/6 (50%) return-approaching
- 1/1 forced back

Borg was...
- 15/25 (60%) at net, including...
- 9/12 (75%) serve-volleying, all 1st serves
---
- 1/2 forced back

Match Report
In the pair's first meeting, McEnroe is beautiful, especially in his volleying while Borg takes an early lunch on a fast indoor hard court

Mac serve-volleys 100% of the time. 92% first serve points won, 76% seconds. 6 aces, no doubles. No break points faced. He’s behind in a service game for all of one point (0-15). Holds to love 5 times, 3 times to 15 and twice to 30

The service action isn’t as back-turned to the returner as it would soon become, nor is the serve as powerful. But he hits his spots perfectly. 20% of Mac’s first serves are aces, to 16% of Borg’s, 1 of them a slow but perfectly placed slice serve. With Borg standing well back to receive (though not as far back as he’d come to against Mac), he finds himself moved about by the serve.

He returns Borg without strain, including all the second serves, and picks and chooses his moments to approach of the second shot. The best of them are the runaround FH return-approaches, where he moves over and well into court to push the ball as he takes net. Just 7 return errors, while Borg has 6 aces speaks to a special serve needed to win a point

The volley is near flawless. 18 winners, 1 UE and 3 FEs (the UE and 1 FE come in return games). He literally doesn’t miss a volley behind his serve, with both FEs being FH1/2Vs. The finishing - whether with the first volley or the second - is feathery light

From the baseline, he hangs even with Borg. Not many long rallies. The 2 players combine for 83 approaches in the matches 109 points (including aces and double faults,). On what there is, Borg moves Mac around mildly, and Mac floats from side to side without trouble. The groundies themselves, particularly the push BH look gentle, but they’re safe. Safer than Borg’s

Ground UEs - Mac 5, Borg 7 (granted, Borg’s carelessness has something to do with this)

Along with the volleying, the most eye catching thing about Mac is his movement. Gentle and graceful, but always on the ball. He’s most tested at net on that front and up to it. Like a butterfly (and the volleys sting like a bee)

Borg… acts weird. After being broken for 2-4 and Mac consolidating with a love hold, Borg seems to almost give up

He starts the match wearing a sweater, which he discards after 1 game, and plays normally until game 8. He doesn’t play badly after, but seems to be checked out

He starts serving with 2 balls in his hand, including when he’s not serve-volleying. On one such point, he misses a strange BH dtl neutral third ball. Later, he telegraphs whether he’s going to serve-volley or not by only pocketing the second ball when he’s going to stay back. At net, he takes the second ball out of his pocket when the point is still going on and unsettled

He moves casually and not well, which is easy to spot given his usual, cat on a hot tin roof bustle. Plays a few walking shots, including a very casual FHV from no-man’s land for a drop winner. Doesn’t chase some balls. Turns away unnaturally quickly when a point is finished

When Mac hits a gentle FH inside-out pass, Borg simply turns away and walks back to baseline for the next point, though the ball wasn’t just in reach, but there to be putaway

Borg himself serve-volleys 39% off the time behind first serves, never behind seconds. Wins 9/12 so doing, both through drawing return errors and some handy volleying of his own. 3 of his first BHV winners are as perfect, if not as pretty, as anything Mac does

Hefty serving, more powerful than Mac’s, but far less precise of placement. Many first serves that he doesn’t come in behind would be considered unforceful though with healthy 6 aces, he’s got something there

Can do precious little on the return, making just 57% of them. Very little of it low but some wide that Mac intercepts deftly

Not bad, but not particularly good either. And most of it running on an undercurrent of wanting to be elsewhere. At very most, a half-hearted showing from Borg, at worst, a tank job

 

[Waspsting]

Match Progression
Mac opens with a love hold featuring two winners. Borg responds with hold to 30 - and 2 immaculate serve-volleying BHV first volley winners of his own - the first cc, the second inside-out

The holds continue for awhile. Mac serve-volleys all the time and Borg rallies to net (and is forced to pass) as the score reaches 2-3 with Borg to serve

A fine game from Mac to break, including a thrilling point with both players being forced back from net, but Mac returns to win it. He follows that by stepping in very early to smack a BH cc return winner - a bolt from the blue, given how passive his BH had been in rallies. Runaround FH chip-charge return gets him the break

After Mac consolidates to love, Borg starts playing strangely. A peculiar shot choice of BH dtl third ball puts him back 0-15, though he goes onto hold with net play, despite not moving with any enthusiasm

Not the easiest of serve outs. Borg strikes a pair of return winners, but Mac’s always ahead in the game as he closes it out to 30

Borg remains unfocused for rest of match. He lets a weak pass go through for a winner, though it was there to be putaway. He does find some big serves (usually while serving with the second ball in his hand). His in-count in first set had been 10/23, which he rectified to 27/40 in this set

While Mac breezes through his service games, Borg’s given a tussle in a 10 point game, that he opens with another perfect BHV winner to the corner. Another long rally ends with Mac holding out on the baseline while being moved side-to-side before Borg takes net. He makes 2 good volleys but a scampering Mac puts the first in play and scampers again to put the second away from near the service line. Wonderful, running FHV from Mac sets up a BHV winner awhile later, before Borg holds with a big serve and a trip to net

Borg wins 3 points in his next 2 return games, which is a step up from what’s been going on, but is broken in a long 14 point game after that to fall behind 4-5. Mac’s at net 7 times in the game, and a couple of careless ground errors from Borg don’t help his cause. On the 4th break point, Mac comes in behind an approach shot to the baseline and putsaway Borg’s gentle get to it… only for the lines person to claim he/she was unsighted and the Chair unwilling to make a decision. Point is replayed, Borg is good enough to get down to his second serve again and hits a third ball FH dtl/inside-out wide to be broken

Mac serves out to love, with Borg returning from just behind the baseline. He misses 3 returns (1 an ace)

Summing up, a beautiful showing from the young McEnroe, who’s all style and grace in his volleys and his soft, precise movement, with everything else up to the par of a high end showing. A casual, indifferent but not bad showing by Borg is no match for it

 

[WCT]

I agree about some strange things from Borg. Playing with the racket a couple times in a manner that you didn't see him do. You didn't mention what I found the strangest thing of all. Match point, something you NEVER saw Borg do. I think it was the second serve. He moves way up inside the baseline. Probably halfway to the service line. Tries to take it completely on the rise, almost a half volley. Missed badly. There were a lot of second serves where I think he was still a little behind the baseline. He goes from that to a complete other extreme on match point. I'm not going to call it a tank job, but he did seem a little off. That one point you mentioned where he played it so casually certainly caught my attention.

Mcenroe won 20 more points? Didn't realize that watching the match months back. That's a lot to be ahead with not that many total points. Yes, indeed, some very impressive volleying by Mcenroe. I've long claimed that I thought his movement was the most underrated part of his game. Very happy to see the telecast of this turn up.

 

[medieval_remnant]

Mac's serve went turbo in late '78 and early '79. It wasn't a weapon at the Open in '78 and when he played Nastase at Forest Hills a month after his NCAA win

 

[Waspsting]

I agree about some strange things from Borg. Playing with the racket a couple times in a manner that you didn't see him do. You didn't mention what I found the strangest thing of all. Match point, something you NEVER saw Borg do. I think it was the second serve. He moves way up inside the baseline. Probably halfway to the service line. Tries to take it completely on the rise, almost a half volley. Missed badly. There were a lot of second serves where I think he was still a little behind the baseline. He goes from that to a complete other extreme on match point. I'm not going to call it a tank job, but he did seem a little off. That one point you mentioned where he played it so casually certainly caught my attention.

Mcenroe won 20 more points? Didn't realize that watching the match months back. That's a lot to be ahead with not that many total points. Yes, indeed, some very impressive volleying by Mcenroe. I've long claimed that I thought his movement was the most underrated part of his game. Very happy to see the telecast of this turn up.

That last return was unusual. I can't think of any other time I've seen Borg do it. Still, down 40-0, 3 match points having barely won return points all match, I can see it

But down just 1 break in the first set and... serving with 2 balls in hand? Holding onto a ball while playing from baseline, with his 2 handed BH? Taking ball out of his pocket while at net and volleying?

Very weird

 

[WCT]

That last return was unusual. I can't think of any other time I've seen Borg do it. Still, down 40-0, 3 match points having barely won return points all match, I can see it

But down just 1 break in the first set and... serving with 2 balls in hand? Holding onto a ball while playing from baseline, with his 2 handed BH? Taking ball out of his pocket while at net and volleying?

Very weird

Sorry, I can't see trying something you never do down match point. IF you are going to try it maybe on the first point of the game. I could see him doing something that is unusual. This was something completely foreign to him.

The stuff with the balls, no denying, something is off with that. Perplexing. It's a tournament, not an exhibition. A big tournament in his country that he had never won up till then. Strange.

 

[WCT]

Mac's serve went turbo in late '78 and early '79. It wasn't a weapon at the Open in '78 and when he played Nastase at Forest Hills a month after his NCAA win

It wasn't exactly a powder puff at the 78 US Open. In the half of the match I've seen he 19 unreturned serves and 4 aces in a set and a half. He's serving pretty hard. But when they did come back they were rockets. I'm talking the Connors match.
I'm certainly not saying it was effective as later on. Still clearly bigger than Connors' though.