AP Was There: McEnroe wins tiebreaker, Borg wins Wimbledon
One rivalry is known for one particularly memorable match involving one particularly memorable tiebreaker: John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg in the 1980 Wimbledon final. McEnroe won the tiebreaker 18-16; Borg won the title. Seven match points, and I failed to do it. He served like a master in the final set and became Wimbledon champion for the fifth straight time. McEnroe himself had six set points in the tiebreaker before he cracked Borg with a backhand return at 18-16.
AP Was There: Nadal edges Federer 9-7 in 5th at Wimbledon
One memorable head-to-head rivalry is Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, who have met in nine Grand Slam title matches, an Open era-record for men. He just played fantastically.Indeed he did, earning Spain its first Wimbledon mens title since Manolo Santana won in 1966. A forehand winner put Federer ahead 9-8, and when Nadal missed a backhand return, the match was even. Federer has led the rankings for a record 231 consecutive weeks, and Nadal has been second for a record 154. Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final in four sets, and the 2007 final in five.
AP Was There: Navratilova tops Evert for 1st Slam title
The AP is republishing stories about a handful of such matches while the canceled grass-court Grand Slam tournament was supposed to be played. The following story, about their first meeting in a Wimbledon final, was sent July 7, 1978. But when Evert twice a Wimbledon champion went from 0-2 to 4-2 in the final set, it seemed that her coolness and experience would prevail. That left Navratilova needing only to hold service for the title, and she did it without dropping a point. Evert set a pattern for the tentative match by dropping the opening game in each of the three sets.
Leo Borg follows in footsteps of famous father Bjorn Borg
(CNN) - Photographers gather as Leo Borg, the world's 356th-ranked junior, takes to the court in the junior Wimbledon qualifying event. Four years later, Bjorn Borg won the first of five consecutive Wimbledon titles. Just like his famous father, Borg junior is a strong athlete, with wide, muscular shoulders. Leo's coach Rickard Billing said of Bjorn's involvement: "He's hands off, he basically wants him to play tennis and have fun." Having just finished school in Sweden, Leo Borg is putting all his efforts into forging a career as a tennis player.