Nadal/Borg career similarities

tennis_pro

Bionic Poster
1)Both had already great success on clay in their teens, Borg won 2 French Opens in in 1974, 1975 while Nadal won his first four in 2005-2008

2)Both had their first really good run at a non-French Open major (and happened to be Wimbledon) aged 20. Borg won Wimbledon in 1976 while Nadal reached the final in 2006. Borg didn't have to face anyone of prime Federer's callibre in his 1976 final, though.

3) Both won their first French Open-Wimbledon duo aged 22, Borg in 1978, Nadal in 2008.

4) Both had their best season achievement-wise aged 24, Borg won the French Open-Wimbledon duo and just missed on a US Open title (lost in 5 in the final). Nadal won the last 3 majors of 2010.

2)Borg won the French Open in 1981 and then lost 2 heartbreakers to McEnroe at Wimbledon and US Open. Nadal won the French Open in 2011 and then lost 2 heartbreakers to Djokovic at Wimbledon and US Open.

3)Borg retired in 1982. Nadal?
 

BULLZ1LLA

Banned
1)Both had already great success on clay in their teens, Borg won 2 French Opens in in 1974, 1975 while Nadal won his first four in 2005-2008

2)Both had their first really good run at a non-French Open major (and happened to be Wimbledon) aged 20. Borg won Wimbledon in 1976 while Nadal reached the final in 2006. Borg didn't have to face anyone of prime Federer's callibre in his 1976 final, though.

3) Both won their first French Open-Wimbledon duo aged 22, Borg in 1978, Nadal in 2008.

4) Both had their best season achievement-wise aged 24, Borg won the French Open-Wimbledon duo and just missed on a US Open title (lost in 5 in the final). Nadal won the last 3 majors of 2010.

2)Borg won the French Open in 1981 and then lost 2 heartbreakers to McEnroe at Wimbledon and US Open. Nadal won the French Open in 2011 and then lost 2 heartbreakers to Djokovic at Wimbledon and US Open.

3)Borg retired in 1982. Nadal?

(Nadal and Borg are opposites mentally. Nadal after Wimbledon said he his goal in 2012 would be to make changes to his game in order to beat Djokovic. So Nadal did not even consider retirement, in July he was already focusing on next year. And he reiterated this after the US Open final-
But you know what? I go back home knowing that I am on the way. You know, I like to fight, I want to enjoy about this battle against him. Six straight loses, for sure that's painful. But I'm going to work every day until that changes. So I have a goal, easy goal for me now. It's going to be tough to change the situation, but the goal is easy to see. To have a goal always you know how to work every day.
Plus he knows he owns everyone else in slams [that includes Federer, Murray and Del Potro now too], so no point retiring, he will win slams when Djokovic doesn't make the final, at the very least)
 

kishnabe

Talk Tennis Guru
Borg didn't retire because McEnroe was pawning him a few times. It was the mental burnout and the number of events he played.

He needed to be away from tennis....then again i don't really know this matter.....and it was Legen Of Borg or Borgnumberone that was talking about this!
 

tennis_pro

Bionic Poster
Borg didn't retire because McEnroe was pawning him a few times. It was the mental burnout and the number of events he played.

He needed to be away from tennis....then again i don't really know this matter.....and it was Legen Of Borg or Borgnumberone that was talking about this!

oh Im sure Borg wouldve kept playing if he won Wimbledon/the US Open in 1981, as great as he was on a tennis court in his prime, he wilted like a shrimp
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
The myths about Borg's retirement are pretty ridiculous. Even Bud Collins has played up the myth, for some reason, that Borg walked out of tennis after the 1981 US Open final. The reality is that Borg won his next tournament in Geneva, got involved into a dispute with the tennis authorities regarding the number of tournaments he would have to play in 1982 as he insisted on a rest and a lesser schedule (only playing Monte Carlo in 1982, in the end). Borg was expected to be back full-time in 1983, until he revealed during the January 1983 Masters that he wouldn't be returning to tennis full-time.

Now, how has this reality been turned into myths regarding "Borg walking out of tennis after the 1981 US Open final" and "McEnroe forced Borg out of tennis". It's a mystery.
 

timnz

Legend
1982/1983

The myths about Borg's retirement are pretty ridiculous. Even Bud Collins has played up the myth, for some reason, that Borg walked out of tennis after the 1981 US Open final. The reality is that Borg won his next tournament in Geneva, got involved into a dispute with the tennis authorities regarding the number of tournaments he would have to play in 1982 as he insisted on a rest and a lesser schedule (only playing Monte Carlo in 1982, in the end). Borg was expected to be back full-time in 1983, until he revealed during the January 1983 Masters that he wouldn't be returning to tennis full-time.

Now, how has this reality been turned into myths regarding "Borg walking out of tennis after the 1981 US Open final" and "McEnroe forced Borg out of tennis". It's a mystery.

What also explodes that myth is the fact that Borg continued to have wins against McEnroe in 1982 and 1983 in unofficial tournaments
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
What also explodes that myth is the fact that Borg continued to have wins against McEnroe in 1982 and 1983 in unofficial tournaments

There you go, Borg could still beat McEnroe in exhibition tournaments after 1981 and his retirement from tennis was a drawn out and complicated process. So the question is, how have these myths persisted?
 

tennis_pro

Bionic Poster
There you go, Borg could still beat McEnroe in exhibition tournaments after 1981 and his retirement from tennis was a drawn out and complicated process. So the question is, how have these myths persisted?

That's just super awesome great. Didn't Roddick beat Federer in an exhibition match righ before the 2007 Australian Open?

Didn't 37-year old Sampras who retired 5 years earlier beat pretty prime Federer in straight sets in an exhibition match around late 2007/early 2008 as well?

Borg actually retiring or "virtually retiring" in 1981 is the same. He didn't have any results at all after that year.
 
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