Showdown of Champions: Blake, Borg, Federer and McEnroe

R

RF007

Rookie
Now that the tennis season has come to an end Roger can take it a bit more slowly. But nevertheless, this week will be rather busy with exhibitions: Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday and Macau on Thursday.

The protagonists in Tuesday night's Showdown of Champions next to Roger are James Blake, John McEnroe and Björn Borg. In addition to his activity on court, Roger will meet with a group of lucky fans for half an hour.

The format in Kuala Lumpur will see one set between Borg and McEnroe followed by another set featuring Roger and James Blake. The finale comprises a USA vs Europe doubles set, with Blake teaming with McEnroe and Roger playing alongside the legendary Borg.
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Anyone looking forward to this?
 
In what meaningful way (that would place him in the category of Borg, McEnroe, or Federer) is Blake a "champion"?
 
Initially, Nadal was scheduled. However, due to the Davis Cup final and his subsequent injury, he was replaced. Blake was for the most part an alternate.
 
Yeah, Rafa was the original choice.

So what if Blake's never won a Master's shield? Like Davydenko would sell more tickets?;-)

ANyway, it sounds like they went for an American for the US v Europe theme. Blake is one of the best American champions. Roddick? Fish would probably be best at dubs.

No big. I mean, it would be nice if Pete or Andre were still playing, but, James is a good choice, especially since he's beaten Roger this year (Olympics).
 
leonidas1982 said:
Not impressed? Have you been a member of a Davis Cup winning team?
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Sorry - Davis Cup wins are certainly important. That is not what I meant. I do not think Blake being a part of a winning Davis Cup team places him at the level of Borg, McEnroe, or Federer. So, if that is all the poster could offer in terms of Blake's credentials, I am not impressed.
 
Results:
McEnroe d. Borg 7-6 (13-11)
Federer d. Balke 7-6 (10-7)
McEnroe/Blake d. Borg/Federer 7-5

Matches were entertaining enough. It's of course always nice to see Borg and McEnroe even if they're a tad slower nowadays. :)
BTW, is this the first time Federer played with McEnroe and Borg?
 
I was hoping to watch this but I cant seem to find it on the tennis channel guide. If anyone knows if and when it will be on in the U.S please post.
 
cpmoran said:
I was hoping to watch this but I cant seem to find it on the tennis channel guide. If anyone knows if and when it will be on in the U.S please post.
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It seems it is being rescheduled on the fly - looks like now according to TTC website - 1pm Pacific - 4pm Eastern.
 
It looks like Borg is using a blacked out racquet with a Head stencil. What are the chances of a Borg signature frame in the future?
 
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If you look on getty - the frame appears to have PWS bulges and the flanges at the throat. I guess it is still the K6.1 only with a Head stencil.
 
pennc94 said:
If you look on getty - the frame appears to have PWS bulges and the flanges at the throat. I guess it is still the K6.1 only with a Head stencil.
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Yeah, I just saw it on tele. I wonder if he'll be using a pj or if they are still working on a specific frame for him.
 
fun

i thought it was a surprisingly high quality match with a lot of nice shotmaking and effort from all players. fun to watch.
 
Federer vs Blake is pretty good, but Borg vs McEnroe is the most boring match I've seen in years... Don't believe me? Watch it!!
 
helloworld said:
Federer vs Blake is pretty good, but Borg vs McEnroe is the most boring match I've seen in years... Don't believe me? Watch it!!
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I can't wait till you reach that age and try to play tennis.

The Borg/Mac match was really funny with both players making light of some funny shots and with the usual Mac racquet throws & umpire complaints LOL!

Those guys can still give a lot of younger players a run for the money.

I can't believe that John can still serve that well! 37 grand slam titles holy cow!

mawashi
 
mawashi said:
I can't wait till you reach that age and try to play tennis.

The Borg/Mac match was really funny with both players making light of some funny shots and with the usual Mac racquet throws & umpire complaints LOL!

Those guys can still give a lot of younger players a run for the money.

I can't believe that John can still serve that well! 37 grand slam titles holy cow!

mawashi
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I know they are trying to imitate the success of Sampras-Federer exhibition last year, but the quality just wasn't there!!!
 
I recorded the Borg/McEnroe match. It was actually very entertaining. These guys could still wipe the floor with younger players any lower than 5.5 rating. Borg was hitting some very powerful shots and even McEnroe was coming over his backhand with good topspin quite often.

The Fed/Blake match was interesting. Those guys were pounding the ball pretty hard for an exhibition match. Glad to see both of those matches go to tie breakers. The fans were really treated to some good tennis.
 
leonidas1982 said:
It looks like Borg is no longer using Wilson's K6.1. He used a blacked out racquet with a Head stencil. What are the chances of a Borg signature frame in the future?
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No, it had the PWS on the frame. It's probably still the 6.1 series.



On a side note, how was the doubles matchup? Wish I would have seen that one.

BTW, to those of you saying the Borg/Mac match was "boring", you really should think about what you're saying. That match was better than any non-ATP match I've ever seen. Remember these guys are in their 50s and are still playing at a high level. If you're comparing the match to a Federer/Nadal match, then yeah, I guess you can be "bored." But if you're looking for pure tennis to be played at a level that you can actually RELATE to, then I would consider the Borg/Mac match to be outstanding.

It's like watching the Bryans play doubles. I know there's no chance in hell I'll ever be able to play like that, so unless I just want to be "Wowed", I actually find THAT MATCH to be boring. I would prefer to watch matches that I can learn from and relate to.
 
I only got to watch the doubles match on tv.

I couldn't get over how empty the arena was for this tennis showcase. Were there more people there during the singles matches? Why did they pick to play these matches in Malaysia if no one was expected to show up? There were thousands of empty seats all over the place.

Seemed to me to be a waste of a great opportunity to have played these matches over there. Maybe the royal family of Malaysia made it happen or something, but I see no reason for Federer and crew to travel over there to play in front of an arena that his 60% empty.
 
jjsgh4.jpg

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In Macau.
 
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