@FrontHeadlock Point taken, thanks!
If we exclude the Australian Open which back then was not important what are the stats out of interest.? I just feel innthe 80s Wimbledon was absolutely a must have
Becker and Edberg on grass would beat anyone this era.
The Becker serve especially would be too tough for them.
Yes his serve on grass was brutal as he used a frying pan grip that meant he hit a very flat serve which was extremely hard to deal with on 80s and 90s grass as it skidded through.
Good point but here’s the added problem for McEnroe. These strings, frames, and courts tilt heavily in favor of power baseliners. Passing shots and returns, groundstrokes. It’s more difficult to take the net given current dynamics.
Wilander would do great. Not a powerful server but he’d make some changes too.
I don't think you have seen Connors play.
Borg had a very good serve, probably better than Djokovic. Do you think he won Wimbledon five times in a row without an offense game? And he did not have a grinder style, he hit harder than anyone back then.
I don't see Lendl's stroke mechanics inferior to Sampras'. And Borg had plenty of power and physicality. Agassi could only beat an over-the-hill Lendl, and Courier got destroyed every time against him. Pretty sure Lendl and Borg would fit in nicely in today's tennis.
Björn means "bear" in Swedish. Norwegian is "Bjørn". Same word, though.Borg was 5’11” and very strong. That’s Agassi’s height. Wawrinka’s height. His leg strength was measured to be off the charts. Put modern frames and strings, plus the newest shoes on him and watch out. The latest frames and strings alone are a huge difference. The courts are slower too, at Wimbledon but also hard courts. He dominated in conditions that favored net rushers/serve and volleyers. His game would do very well in modern conditions. He also hit very hard first serves. His first serve was clocked near 120 with a Borg Pro in 1980-1981. So, his speed, stamina, and baseline game would be very difficult to contend with. Those that made the shift from wood to graphite in the 80’s like all the players did know. The difference is immense. So many posters just take players with wood frames and place them with the old equipment versus modern players that have all the equipment advantages. Try facing Tanner and McEnroe’s serves at Wimbledon on the older fast grass with a tiny wood frame. The dynamics now have shifted. To play a modern “style” before it was even invented and still flourish is a mark of supreme talent and ability. As other players have mentioned, these all time greats would adjust and adapt. So modern conditions which favor Borg (not net rushers such as Edberg, McEnroe or Becker) with a modern frame and poly strings? He would be scary to face for anyone. How many of these greats have the speed and stamina of Bjorn Borg?
“The headband made him iconic. It was a beacon amongst a sea of distraction. But the headband signaled, Bjorn’s brand. It pinned his long blond hair that waived in the air, out of his eyes and to the side of his head. Like a white flag in search of truce, except you misinterpreted the flag. There would never be surrender.
They tried to weaponize his look… the same look if they tried today, he’d be a billionaire. But it happens. Many greats are before their time… and that’s why they’re great.
Bjorn, means “bear” in Norwegian. As bears go, 5’11 and 160lbs, may not be considered particularly grizzly… but his pound for pound strength is like that of tensile steel.
Borg, means “stronghold.” All physicalities are limited. Bjorn’s true stronghold was his mind… never relenting… never fatiguing. Attrition, is a weapon.
All things beautiful are contradictions.” - Bjorn Borg In The Eyes Of Pro Boxer Michael Olajide
Borg was the hardest hitter in his era, and he's the same height as McEnroe and Agassi.
How many 5‘10 guys have really good ATP serves today?
5’11” and todays racquets make a big difference. He could reach 120 with a very small wood frame. He served and volleyed often at Wimbledon, as in 76 when he won without dropping a set. He had a great overhead too.
It’s not fair to compare them for the racket alone but no Borg highlights suggest he could outhit Nole from baseline. Nole an absolute animal from baseline.
With a wooden racquet?
He would have been bigger in this era too but I disagree. Agassi the same deal. He was way more athletic than all those guys you mentioned.
Laver hit harder than Borg.
Modern players don't really know how to handle a world class level S&V game, especially with a serve like Mac's. Watching Nadal vs Opelka the other day I was constantly wondering why Opelka didn't follow his 2nd serve into the net more often. With Nadal standing way back and the 2nd serve bouncing very high, Nadal was just barely able to get it back in play. Had Opelka been at the net more often on his 2nd serves, Nadal would have had a very hard time.
Yes, Borg was a harder hitter than Wilander, and obviously a better player, but he still would have struggled in the big-3 era.
No Borg or Agassi wouldn't have been "bigger" in this era. They were both raised in recent decades in modern western countries on modern western diets. Genes don't change that fast and those two guys had access to the best training methods during their childhood and teenage years. A study of Swedes born in 1956 actually revealed that men were on average 180.1cm tall, but in 2016, those numbers stood at 177.9cm (a small decline over time interestingly).
Medvedev like Connors? Not buying that comparison. Medvedev is almost 8" taller with probably a foot or more reach advantage and a style/movement/strokes that have nothing at all a resemblance to Connors. Like not even close. Nobody currently actually plays like Connors who had a very aggressive style, modest serve, and flat strokes. Connors would not be very successful at all trying to play his type of game in 2022
More like S&V players haven't figured out how to handle or get in on the modern player's spin and pace from the backcourt. Without the highest quality approach, they are sitting ducks.
Top athletes of today and how they train, including diet and supplements is quite a bit different than how the average population. So despite the average height going up, for elite athletes who grow up at academies have access to much that athletes a few decades do not.
