John McEnroe vs Ivan Lendl Final Us Open 1984

[@rivaridge7211]

Watching this match brings back a fun and happy memory of sitting next to John's parents in the back of a very crowded United Airlines DC-10 (Los Angeles to Honolulu) in January 1992. Being a very big tennis fan, I immediately recognized the McEnroe's in the gate area and was astounded to be seated next to them (in that big five seat "middle section" on the flight). I knew that there was a Davis Cup event in Hawaii and asked Mrs. McEnroe (on my right) if this is where she and her husband were headed. And, of course it was. They were both friendly, but, after initial pleasantries, I pulled out a book and tried to pace myself for the five-and-a half hour flight. A funny thing happened about 30 minutes (or so) before landing - a flight crew member handed Mr. McEnroe a bottle of wine, which he handed over to his wife, and she tucked it into her large open bag/purse beside her. As our flight was descending our plane was rocked by air-turbulence and somehow that newly gifted bottle of wine flipped out of Mrs. McEnroe's bag and banged onto the floor and rolled underneath the seats ahead of us. (That damned bottle had a mind of its own!) I turned to Mrs. Kay McEnroe with the idea of offering help and she (somehow reading my mind) simply said, "It's gone." She was so matter of fact about it - that's what I most recall. I squeezed down and saw that the bottle was about three rows up and i retrieved it - I love a challenge! P.S. RIP John Sr., and his pretty wife Kay, whom both passed in 2017.

[@gallmica18]

Yes Mac, you were great. I was rooting for you back then!

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Mac was DOMINANT in 1984. For my money, the best men's tennis year of all time in the modern era. It took a Lendl masterclass in Paris to prevent a major sweep of the events he competed in (would've won in Melbourne if not for his injured wrist).

[@kandyno]

Connors' season in 1974 may just edge McEnroe's in 1984 (although they obviously didn't play each other in '74); Connors was 93-4, won 15 titles, and three Grand Slams.

[@archangelmusic13]

@@kandyno what about mats wilander in 1988? or graf's 1988 year?

[@philippemartinez9095]

@@kandyno Mc-Enroe 1984, 82 wins for 3 losses, best percentage in the history of men's tennis. 96.5%. Federer 2005 : 96,3%. Connors 1974 : 92,8%.

[@JGldmn333]

Djokovic in 2011? Even better. Federer 2005...Connors 1974.

[@willritter4076]

McEnroe finishing his grueling 5-set semifinal at midnight, then coming out the next day at 4pm and greasing Lendl in straight sets is probably the most impressive SF-to-F turnaround in Grand Slam history.

[@dradenhaven1549]

He already did that before.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@Will Ritter. As impressive as John McEnroe's straight set defeat of Ivan Lendl in the finals of the 1984 U.S. Open was after defeating Connors the night before in 5 tough sets (and it was damned impressive!), the greatest achievement in a single major in men's singles in history was Henri Cochet's incredible rallying from 2 sets down in three consecutive matches to win the 1927 Wimbledon Men's Singles title - from 2 sets down in the quarterfinals versus Frank Hunter, from 2 sets and 5-1 down against Bill Tilden in the semifinals and then from 2 sets down and match point (6 times) down against his French countryman Jean Borotra in the finals! It is exceedingly unlikely that anyone will ever pull that off again!

[@martenx1384]

@@michaelbarlow6610 Ok but that was before the open era!

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@@martenx1384 .Although Henri Cochet's incredible achievement of winning 3 consecutive singles matches in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the 1927 Wimbledon tournament from 2 sets to love down in each of those three singles matches occurred before the Open Era in tennis history, that in no way, shape or form detracts at all from it definitely being the greatest single accomplishment in one major tournament in tennis history! Bill Tilden in the semifinals had Cochet down 2 sets to love and 5-1 in the 3rd set and still couldn't beat Cochet in that phenomenal match! Modern tennis fans ridiculously like to put down the amateur era in the game's history because the majors were not open to pros. But that fact doesn't change the fact that those pro players competed in those majors prior to turning pro! Even though , for example, Rod Laver's 1969 Grand Slam is more impressive than his 1962 Grand Slam because in 1969 pros were playing in the 4 majors, his winning the Grand Slam in 1962 against the world's best amateur players is still a tremendous accomplishment!

[@bim-ska-la-bim4433]

Great comment...and true. That he did this less than 24 hrs after his semi was another hint at how good a year he had in 84.

[@sonsoftheedelweiss72]

Greatest artist on the court of all time IMO. Such a beautiful player to watch. He was unique and there will never be another like him. Imo I watch his old videos of matches all the time. But I do not do that with any other player. My son who played D1 tennis thinks I’m crazy lol. 80’s were the best.

[@KingCast65]

Your son just doesn't get it. I do. I like to watch Vitas and Nasty and Ashe and Laver and Edberg as well but Mac + Anybody is always a treat.

[@bellazoe1]

I got to see him play edberg at Wimbledon semis. It was a religious experience. The most beautiful player ever

[@KingCast65]

@@bellazoe1 Some people don't like his strokes and yeah they sure are old school but they're GOOD SCHOOL. TBH I like wood frame Mac a little more than 200G Mac because the body english was different.

[@msiroi01]

amazing attacking style by McEnroe. Obliterated Lendl. God-given talent with the volley. Joy to watch. Wish serve and volley tennis still existed. Mac, Becker, Edberg, even Sampras.

[@juanestebankruhsanmguel1960]

@Steven Graham serve and volley is for incomplete players who are only good at one skill volleying,baseline is for players who are good at everything except one thing volleying also

[@neondiamondsaquaberry17]

@@juanestebankruhsanmguel1960 you really don’t know much about tennis.

[@slyjokerg]

@@neondiamondsaquaberry17 You got that right. LOL. How naive and ignorant of him to say that.

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

@@juanestebankruhsanmguel1960 Probably the dumbest comment Ive ever read on here lol.

[@juanestebankruhsanmguel1960]

@@chocolatetownforever7537 can elaborate on that? For baseline tennis you need -Good Forehand -Good Backhand -Speed -Stamina -IQ -Intelligence -Dropshot -Slice -Serve -Return For serve and volley you need -Serve -Volley -Skill -Anticipation -Timing

[@theenglishalpinist5031]

McEnroe at his best was sheer poetry, there was nobody like him and never will be. It's almost as if every shot is done with a casual flap, but this is because he relaxes instantly on the ball and feels it on the strings like no other. As for the serve, don't even get me started. At 100% and with equal technology he beats every player there has ever been, including Federer and Djokovic, except perhaps on clay.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@The English Alpinist. Absolutely! I have stated in numerous posted comments on tennis videos on KZbin that McEnroe at his very peak in 1984 played the greatest level of tennis seen in the graphite era in tennis history (you can't compare the wood/metal rackets era in tennis history to the graphite era for obvious reasons)! As phenomenal as Sampras was at his best from 1993-1996/1997, McEnroe had the greatest diversity of shot-making skills ever seen in tennis history! Modern tennis fans and the mainstream news media (of which the late Vincent T. Bugliosi accurately wrote, "can invariably be counted upon to do only a modicum of analytical thinking") erroneously believe, assert and/or assume that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are the three greatest male tennis players of all-time because they fail to examine at all the underlying factors/reasons why those three great players' statistical accomplishments are so grossly inflated and disproportionate to the achievements of the great players of the past, including the lubricated strings, larger Type3 tennis ball, the harder rubber core Type1 tennis ball, the harder, firmer, and slower grass courts at Wimbledon since and including the year 2001 (and the slowed down courts in general on the men's pro tour) and the graphite rackets which have irrefutably cheapened the game of tennis by making it too damned easy to avoid making unforced errors and serving double faults! As Jimmy Connors accurately stated during NBC Sports' coverage of the 1989 Wimbledon tournament, the graphite rackets elevated all players' playing levels by one full level above their actual ability. By logical extension, the deplorable changes in the game since the adoption of the graphite technology cited above which have grossly and unfairly favored baseline play over serve-and-volley play have added an additional half level to a full level to each player's game which means that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have been playing at least a level and a half to 2 levels above their actual abilities! Ban the lubricated strings, larger Type3 tennis ball, harder rubber core Type1 tennis ball, the graphite rackets, bring back the lightening fast indoor supreme court carpet surface for indoor tournaments, speed up the courts to the way they were from the 1970's- mid-1990's, require the male pros to play with wood or metal rackets - which was real tennis - and put any 4 or 5 of the greatest male players from earlier eras in tennis history at the peak of their respective primes on the pro tour during the Federer, Djokovic and Nadal era and you would, without any question whatsoever, see those 3 modern era male pro champions statistical achievements plummet by at least 50 percent! Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have benefited enormously from not only the deplorable changes in the game that have cheapened the game of tennis, but have irrefutably played during the weakest era in men's tennis history because they have had no all-time great players (especially all-time great serve-and-volley players like McEnroe, Kramer, Laver, Sampras - who only played against Federer once -, Edberg and Becker) to challenge them on the men's pro tour other than each other! Two statistics irrefutably prove this. First, from 2015-2018, no male player under 30 years-old with the exception of Djokovic - who won the 2015 U.S. Open - won so much as a single set in the U.S. Open Men's Singles Final during that 4 consecutive year period! Second, and even more illuminating, from 2017-2019, no male player other than Federer, Djokovic and Nadal won any of the 12 major singles tournaments during that 3 consecutive year period! By contrast, from the late 1970's - mid 1990's there were no less than 10 all-time great players competing at or near the top of men's pro tennis at one time or another during that period including Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Vilas, Edberg, Becker, Wilander, Sampras and Agassi winning the major tournaments! The reason of course that that three consecutive seasons dominance of the 4 major tournaments by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic never occurred before in tennis history is because the earlier eras in tennis history had a much larger number of all-time great players competing against each other at or near the top of men's tennis! It is so sad and mindboggling that John McEnroe fails to see the reality that those three current great male tennis players are definitely not the GOAT in tennis history! McEnroe should definitely know better - so disappointing that he obviously does not!

[@slyjokerg]

He had the best hands of anyone, ever, including Martina. He probably had the most natural ability of all time. Watch him play... his technique was terrible. You would never teach anyone to play tennis like him in any facet of the game. His shot prep was brutal.. his strokes were awkward as hell... and that service motion is "wtf?" But his instincts, his aggressiveness, his nimbleness/quickness were all top notch, and the touch was/is unequalled, in my opinion.

[@slyjokerg]

@@michaelbarlow6610 The comparison to the other eras is impossible to reconcile. The numbers are what they are. Fed/Rafa/Joker have dominated the sport in a way that no individual has ever done, and they had to do most of it against each other. Truly remarkable. But it is a very different game now. I so miss the net game. It is even a world different from the Agassi/Sampras era. Such a shame. Anyway... I happen to agree that McEnroe's 84 season was the pinnacle of Tennis excellence.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@@slyjokerg .McEnroe's technique was not "terrible" as you erroneously claim! He did not possess the machine-like, relentlessly precise footwork of Borg, Connors or Evert, but you don't get to be ranked #1 in the world in pro tennis - let alone ranked in the top 20 in the world - by having sloppy or "terrible" technique! Considering his continental grip for all his shots in his game, his technique was excellent! He was not a heavy topspin player like Borg, Vilas, Nadal, etc., so it would be ludicrously unreasonable to expect him to utilize the same technique in striking the ball as most players! The major weakness in McEnroe's game from a technical standpoint was that he had a tendency to hit his forehand down-the-line a fraction of a second too late resulting in the ball landing in the doubles alley in his singles matches. He also could have and should have generated more offense on his underspin backhand baseline groundstroke by driving through the ball more so that that shot would have more force behind it and would skid low to the court rather than floating through the air and rebounding higher off the surface on his opponent's side of the court. And as Lendl accurately stated, he (Lendl) never played against another player who could hit the ball with pace off a shot that landed at his feet like McEnroe! As far as his serve is concerned, you obviously fail to recognize that his side-saddle service stance allowed McEnroe to (1) disguise the direction of his serve better against his opponents than a conventional service stance would allow and (2) as his coach Tony Palafox accurately stated, that service stance allowed McEnroe to get much more upper body rotation into the serve to generate more spin and power on his serve than if he had hit his serve utilizing a conventional service stance! And I have always stated that McEnroe had the best hands (i.e., touch/feel for the tennis ball) in tennis history! So by pointing that out, you're not, as the old expression goes, "telling me anything that I don't already know"!

[@slyjokerg]

​@@michaelbarlow6610 As you did when obsessing about Cochet, and trying to dismiss the impact of playing a grueling 5 set match until midnight has on a player's body (and mind, for that matter) before going out to play in a final 16 hours later, you are exhibiting great naivety and ignorance regarding the sport. McEnroe's technique was indeed largely bad. As I already noted, NO tennis coach would teach any student to do much of anything technique wise as McEnroe did it. My very point was that he DID reach the pinnacle of the sport DESPITE his lack of technique. That is how good he was. His ground stroke form was pretty awful. His quickness and anticipation covered for it a lot. His footwork coming to net was much better. His service motion was a monstrosity, ffs. LOL. He was a pretty great server, again, DESPITE his lack of form. His volleying technique wasn't even that good, really. But his superior hand-eye coordination and amazing touch were probably unequalled in the sport, possibly to this day.

[@cvganeshkumar1695]

"I haven't seen anyone play better Tennis than what John McEnroe did today", said the Great Rod Laver after this match . And that , just about sums up everything !

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@cvganeshhumar 1695. As brilliantly as McEnroe played against Lendl in the 1984 U.S. Open final, his level of play was even greater in his thrashing of Connors in 3 straight sets in the Wimbledon final that year in which he only lost 3 points on his serve and only made 2 unforced errors the entire 3 set match which is absolutely mind boggling! It is amazing that Laver failed to realize that McEnroe played even better against Connors in the Wimbledon final that year than against Lendl in the U.S. Open final that year! McEnroe in 1984 played a higher level of tennis than any player in the history of the game including prime Sampras 1993-1997, prime Federer 2003-2008, prime Djokovic or prime Nadal!

[@Tom-bb5gd]

best of luck in learning the English language, r e t a r d

[@fundhund62]

The level at Wimbledon wasn't higher. Connors played pretty terribly, and Lendl was a much more dangerous opponent for McEnroe at that time, to begin with. And statistics aren't necessarily very meaningful. And in this case, they are not even true. He made much more than two unforced errors in that match!

[@th8257]

McEnroe said in his autobiography that he was worried before this match that he was too tired from his semi final against Connors, but then he looked at Lendl across the locker room and saw he was having real trouble stretching out (Lendl had also had a gruelling semi final against Cash)

[@TSWest]

Wow Mac really put on a clinic during this match. Awesome tennis, much better than what I see today.

[@JGldmn333]

Nonsense. Give me Fed...Joker and Nadal any day over this stuff..Serve and volley is boring.

[@patoconnor9600]

You're nuts, modern tennis is so incredibly monolithic and boring. The contrasting styles was beautiful to watch.@@JGldmn333

[@archangelmusic13]

lendl played in a very tough era facing all these serve and volleyers. nadal and djokovic today never had to worry about that.

[@martydav9475]

Exactly - which is why I never take seriously the GOAT nonsense involving Djokovic.

[@jasonbrooks6562]

Mac at his best. Hard to believe he never won another slam.

[@uncletony6210]

that would've been an absurd suggestion at the time.

[@alanchong7513]

McEnroe vs Lendl is like the fable "the hare and the tortoise." Don't have a nap because there is still a career ahead.

[@uncletony6210]

hey, Alan. I saw you commenting on an nba vid also.

[@alanchong7513]

+Uncle Tony I don't follow the NBA. I am an exclusive tennis fan. Been following the ATP? Nadal in top form!

[@uncletony6210]

oh, that's probably why you didn't reply to me - it wasn't you. I don't follow tennis as much anymore, but sounds like Raf is about to win the FO for about the millionth time.

[@purveyoroffinefoodslaszlo9955]

Mac owns Lendl in this match. Might be the best he ever played. Otherworldly hands, anticipation, gamesmanship. Toying with Lendl. Dictating pace. Constructing points way ahead of Lendl here. The clip includes the award ceremony. Actually time of match is an incredible 1 hour 16 minutes. Total domination. Serve and volley clinic.

[@WithBACON]

McEnroe was better in the 1984 Wimbledon final.

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

@@WithBACON Yeah, how long was that match? Lol, he wins both of his grand slam finals in less than 3 hours total.

[@derrickc1353]

Yes I think he would have beat Lendl in 85 too. But played Wilander day before and that took something out of him. They did not have a day off between semis and finals like they do now.

[@mikearon1970]

@@derrickc1353idk, i feel like lendl’s game was starting to peak in late 85 and mcenroe’s was slightly declining

[@massimilianocompagno8401]

In 1984 Mac was in God Mode.

[@mariepavlov9144]

1984 was indeed John Mac's greatest year ever.

[@michaelsearer6698]

Except for Tatum.

[@Joe-to8og]

Greatest tennis display by any player to this day. Total domination.

[@ChristianCentury2000]

You are correct! Who would have imagined that the 1984 US Open Finals would be his last triumph in a men's single final in a major tournament! I was shocked when he lost to Kevin Curran in the 1985 Wimbledon tournament!

[@bradhuskers]

@@ChristianCentury2000 I wasn't shocked He was built like a girl

[@bradhuskers]

@@Joe-to8og Wrong. Lendl beat him at the french. McEnroe was built like a girly girl

[@SuperPrince1007]

I give John McEnroe all the credit in the world for his domination in the game of tennis at this time especially over the great Ivan Lendl but Ivan Lendl must be commended for not giving up, going on a strength conditioning program and doing what he had to do to beat John McEnroe after this devastating defeat. While so many would give up Lendl didn't. He got his revenge in 1985 & 1986. Nobody could argue that John McEnroe played the net better than anybody.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@Steven Leccese. John McEnroe had a greater diversity of volleys than Stefan Edberg , but on a day-to-day, match-to-match basis, Edberg was more consistent in his volleying ability.

[@SuperPrince1007]

@@michaelbarlow6610 Edberg had great volleying ability but there's no way he could play the net better than John McEnroe. I'm not saying John McEnroe was the best tennis player of all time but he was the best net player of all time. Pete Sampras was probably # 2 at the net.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@@SuperPrince1007 . You didn't read my comment carefully! I didn't say that Edberg volleyed "better" than McEnroe. I clearly ( and accurately) said that he was more consistent than McEnroe on a match-in-match-out basis! McEnroe could make some very sloppy errors on volleys that he had no business missing! Edberg rarely made sloppy mistakes on easy volleys, at least not anywhere near the extent that McEnroe did! It can only be stated with any degree of certainty that McEnroe had the greatest diversity of volleys and shotmaking skills of any male player in the history of tennis. As far as which player was the greatest serve-and-volleyer of all-time, that question is impossible to answer definitively because Laver and Kramer were the greatest volleyers of the pre-Open era in tennis history. McEnroe, Edberg, Sampras and Becker rank up there with Laver and Kramer as to volleying ability but it is impossible to determine accurately which of those all-time great volleyers was the best!

[@SuperPrince1007]

@@michaelbarlow6610 Ok, I get your point but overall nobody played the net better than John McEnroe.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@@SuperPrince1007 . That's impossible to determine definitively! Laver or Kramer may have played better at the net than McEnroe, but we'll never know for certain! I think that the major reason that Edberg was more consistent than McEnroe in his volleying in a match-to-match basis was because whereas Edberg had a classic, textbook volleying technique, McEnroe (especially on his forehand volley) had an unorthodox volleying technique. On his forehand volley, McEnroe would drop his racket arm horizontal to the court which could lead to more volley errors, whereas Edberg would hit his forehand volley in a classic, textbook manner in which the racket head is above the wrist upon contact of the ball on the racket strings. Edberg would also bend his knees more to volley than McEnroe, which helps to reduce volley errors.

[@TheMrBennito]

Wow😮, Mac close to perfection, he dominated Lendl in every department! 👏

[@72seeker72]

Love the Davis Cup USA jacket. Classic.

[@brandonrael7891]

Looking back after all these years, it's hard to believe this was Mac at his peak, yet he never own another grand slam in his career. Now you have players playing well into their 30s and in great condition. Mac was only 25 with seemingly 3-5 more years of competitive tennis in him. What a shame, as he didn't adapt and evolve his game to the power tennis that was on the rise with Becker, Lendl, and others

[@derrickc1353]

power had nothing to do with it. Borg retired and he lost his desire to be number one. He got married to tatum o'neal and he wanted to have some fun away from tennis similar to Marat Safin. He came back in 86' not the same player as he was in 84'. He spoke of this in interviews and even his brother Patrick said that his hands at net were not the same in 86.

[@EliasCohen881]

@@derrickc1353 Power had everything to do with it. Once Lendl hit his stride he was indeed too powerful for Mac, with a much more advanced game and a monster forehand. Mac's forehand was a joke in comparison. You can have all the "hands" in the world at the net, but when you are being drilled with missile forehands, there's not much you can do. Lendl had no problem going right at Mac. Also, once they got into a rally, it was all over for Mac and his one-dimensional game. Lendl was the player of the future, whose forehand in his prime could match anyone's today. You think Mac didn't have the desire after '84? That's ridiculous. Like the other fellow stated, he just didn't adapt his backward game to the emerging POWER players, like Lendl and Becker, who also had more complete games. You don't know much about tennis. I won't be reading what I am sure will be a useless reply.

[@derrickc1353]

@@EliasCohen881 so how did he beat lendl so easily in 84 and not in 85? Did Lendl play bad in 84. Yes Lendl had power, but if you watch some mcenroe interviews. He admits that he lost some of his desire for the game and wanted to have some fun or take a break. His brother said his net play was not the same after his 8 month hiatus I believe. So find the interviews and listen to what mcenroe said about himself if he was being honest.

[@EliasCohen881]

@@derrickc1353 Who told him to lose his "desire" in his prime years. That is a lame excuse. The fact is he played those matches from '85 onwards and lost many of them against more advanced players. As for Lendl, he had problems with nerves in his early years, and having only won one Slam on clay before meeting Mac at USO '84 (on a different surface), didn't do much to help this problem. But the more he won on HC the more his confidence grew, and when he met Mac a year later at USO he was a stronger, more resilient player. That is when his more advanced game really took effect.

[@kingarthurusatenniscoach1415]

@@EliasCohen881 That was a wonderful piece of a written article, As a coach you are correct. Mac relied on his hands and never had fundamentals. His ground strokes were technically poor. Also the weed factor Mac was taking regularly BBC documentary Chrissie Hynde of the pretenders called him a pot head

[@seteetlemonde7656]

Mcenroe the goat

[@muralikrishnag1629]

1984 was a Golden year for John McEnroe.He won Wimbeldon and US open and lost to Ivan Lendl in French open final in 5 setter.He has lost only 3 matches in that year winning 82 matches and winning 13 tournaments.His winning rate in 1984 was the best in open era.John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl are great champions.They won 23 grandslams (Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl 8 each,John McEnroe 7 ). Jimmy Connors (109 titles),Ivan Lendl(94 titles)John McEnroe (77 titles) domination was so great that all the three players will find a place in all time top ten great players.John McEnroe use to play doubles too and also known as all time great doubles player.Jimmy Connors,John McEnroe and Ian Lendl won US open 5,4 and 3 times respectively.Lendl reached consecutively 8 times US open finals from1982-1989 which is a record. They use to play semifinals and finals on consecutive days in 1970's and 1980's with respect to US Open unlike now which use to be very taxing and shows their grit,determination,fitness and concentration.

[@carseye1219]

While Borg retired at 26, McEnroe never won a grand slam tournament beyond the age of 25, even though he still played some great tennis. Anybody noticed that, once he switched from Sergio Tacchini clothes to Nike, that was the end of his dominance. '84 was unbelievable for him.

[@Lava1964]

When I point out to tennis fans that McEnroe never won a Grand Slam event after his 25th birthday, the often don't believe me.

[@carseye1219]

Kind of ironic that he was never famous for how hard he trained, that he got distracted by other interests, music, celebrity, etc, and that people like Lendl were outworking him, he's in great shape today, being able to hit with people 1/3 his age and hold his own. @@Lava1964

[@HCaulfield115]

Johnny Mac’s judgement at the net is unreal 😮

[@AppleheadRecords]

Surreal

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

One of the craziest statistics in sports history is McEnroe going 82-3 in 1984. Even crazier is that he never wins another Grand Slam again. Can you fathom what the odds would be in some Las Vegas Sportsbook that McEnroe NEVER wins another Slam after this match? They would have been ASTRONOMIC..

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Yeah...at 25, GOAT season at the time...no way anyone would've thought this was the end of the line.

[@slyjokerg]

That IS crazy, isn't it? He only won 2 of the 4 slams that year, but it is still arguably the best year anyone has ever had. He didn't play in Australia, which was held at the end of year back then. In that era, the AO wasn't taken seriously by a lot of players, men and women. He claimed a wrist injury, but that is likely bullshit. He had gone through a suspension because of his drink smashing incident and famous "Answer the question, JERK!" outburst. It is probable that he was simply taking a pass. He only played the AO 5 times, including his infamous DQ in 1990. Evert only played it 6 times out of 18. Of course, she won it twice and lost in the finals of the other four. She really sucked. At the US Open, she only made it to the *Semis or better her first 16 years* , then QF, SF, QF at the end of her career. Just terrible. Anyway, Mac's other GS that year was a loss in the French final to Lendl after leading Ivan 2 sets to none, dominating him, 6-3, 6-2, , and I think up a break in the third, until Lendl changed tactics and played a lot of dinkers and lobs. His other two losses were to Henrik Sundstrom on a manufactured, indoor clay court in the Davis Cup finals with Sweden, 13-11, 6-4, 6-3; and somehow to Vijay Amritraj in Cincinnati 6-7, 6-2, 6-3. Amritraj also beat JMac in Montreal in 1981, but John was 11-0 in their other matches. BTW, Mac's doubles record in 1984 was 40-5, winning Wimbledon and losing in the SF at the US among 7 titles that year. He didn't play doubles at the French, and of course, was not in Australia. So... a combined 122-8 with 20 titles, including 3 majors of the 5 in which he played, losing in the final of one and the SF of another.

[@lawrence1318]

Connors was 93-4 in 1974.

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

​@@slyjokergLol 122-8. Disgusting.

[@slyjokerg]

@@lawrence1318 The depth of tennis was definitely weaker ten years earlier, and 93-4 is .95876 vs the .9647 of 82-3, but that year from Connors has to be on the podium, I would say. I did say Mac's season is "arguably" the best of all time. There is no way to prove it, because there is no rule/standard for determining the best. A few of notes about Connors... -In 74, he won all three GSs he played in, not playing in Paris. -In 75, he lost in the finals of all three of the same GSs he had won the year before. Didn't play the French again. -As I mentioned, in the old days, LOTS of players of both sexes saw the AO as something less than equal to the other GSs. 74 and 75 were the only two years Connors played the AO. -He DID play the French 13 times and never won it. His flat hitting just didn't fit the clay.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

The level of absolutely brilliant play that McEnroe displayed against Connors in the 1984 Wimbledon Final and against Lendl in the 1984 U.S. Open Final, his dominance of Lendl in the Masters Final and for the first 2 sets in the 1984 French Open Final is the greatest tennis the game has ever seen in the graphite era! Not even Federer or Sampras as great as they were could match McEnroe's brilliant diversity of shot-making skills when Mac was at his peak in 1984!

[@shelleywarkentin9656]

Reading the comments, Mac may not have won anymore GrandSlams in singles, but he did in doubles. One here with Mark Woodford, and the other at Wimbledon with Michael Stich. He also helped US win Davis Cup in 92 playing doubles with Pete Sampras.

[@debowiec3]

"Flashes please............no flashes!!". Once heard a US Open umpire rebuke the crowd for using "flash photography as it was called back then. Remembered ever since!!!!!

[@drlee2]

Even though Lendl won the French, it had to be frustrating for a 3rd consecutive year not winning the US Open. Interesting that Lendl’s 5-set thriller with Cash was much earlier in the day over McEnroe’s 5-set night match with Connors. It seems like McEnroe would be more tired, but he seems pretty fresh in this match.

[@amck72]

As great as John was in 1984, no one was expecting Boris Becker to blow up on the scene in 85`.

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

I think Boris was basically the end of Mac's career. Yes, he won tourneys, but the Becker era brought a lil more power than during the early 80s, and that was devastating to Mac's dominance. Graphite heads where even mishits were controllable didnt help Mac's game either. When youre a serve and volleyer, even when the ball is coming back only miliseconds earlier, it can be the difference between the ball being at your feet instead of stomach high, and the opportunity to be offensive with your volley. I think that lil difference in speed of the ball coming back on the return of serve was the biggest reason Mac went from number one and dominant, to a fringe contender in grand slams.

[@amck72]

@@chocolatetownforever7537 I agree. Becker started a new era

[@zulufromhell]

Federer watching this as a 3 year old. Nadal and Djokovic yet to be born.

[@Ghosted760]

Remember seeing this in 1984... McEnroe was **stellar** that year.

[@abradfordajb]

I did .... and he was.

[@seeteshmohapatra3200]

In 84 McEnroe played like man possessed by a celestial spirit. He played sublime tennis . No one was anywhere near him. He was light years ahead of others. Alas it all vanished in 85.

[@giuseppemariotti4724]

Mcenroe al top della sua carriera. Il tennis elevato a creazione artistica. Uno spettacolo che ancora emoziona a rivederlo dopo tanti anni.

[@samsitt4627]

Tatum o'Neal happened and he never got another sniff at a slam

[@martydav9475]

"Sniff" being the word.

[@fedexyz]

Unbelievable how god of tennis chose his wrist to stay, making tennis pure art. Forever John anyone nevermore

[@SenthilKumar-ny3qt]

Mac was is and will be the best ever player to have played tennis. Mac in his prime would destroy everyone including Fed.. Genius , Phenomenon

[@kyleklontz3214]

Uh no

[@HDGuruGuy]

Could've just left at it "best ever player" but then you had to throw King Fed in the mix. Any of the big 3 today would smoke anybody in the 80s and even the 90s.

[@bcuser2]

@@HDGuruGuy give them Jhon's racket and good luck

[@martydav9475]

@@HDGuruGuy Dream on friend. Rosol, Brown and Müller, three second-tier, journeymen serve-and-volleyers all beat Nadal on slow grass - they rushed him and took away the time he needs to set himself to play his shots and let his power game work. It's not difficult to see what McEnroe, Becker, Edberg and Sampras would have done to him, and Djokovic, on fast grass. (Cash, Stich, Krajicek, Rafter, quite possibly Ivanisevic - four times Wimbledon finalist remember - and maybe even Leconte would have done the same to same to them too.)

[@HDGuruGuy]

@@martydav9475Dude, I've been watching tennis since the 80s too. Seen 'em all. I know as old geezers we get stuck in a timewarp, so I get it. But have you not been watching tennis for the last 15yrs?? The 80s guys just wouldn't be able to keep up physically. Now the 90s guys would be diff - Sampras and Agassi would've definitely challenged them (Fed vs Agassi us open 2005..if Agassi was just a few yrs younger...prob wouldn't have mattered tho)

[@stevel.2759]

These commentators have a lot of class

[@murph165]

Lendl was not a serve-and-volley player. He was a baseliner. So when he came in after every serve of that final game, you could tell he was pretty much conceding the match ... He certainly displayed much more class here than Johnny Mac did when he lost the French final earlier that year.

[@chriswylie253]

Point at 35:58 looked funny but was an amazing example of athleticism and impossible reflexes. In less than a quarter of a second, he is spun around 360, disoriented, and in a millisecond actually gets his footwork correct and hits a perfect forehand to the perfect place on the court.

[@ianwilson2007]

It was such a young man's game back then. McEnroe won his last Grand Slam at 25. Borg at 24. Now all the best players are in their 30s!

[@shawnn7502]

Competition isn't there. Pretty sad for tennis that Federer, Jokavic, and Nadal are still dominant on the men's side and that Serena is still a factor for the women. Young players should have long surpassed them by now.

[@juanestebankruhsanmguel1960]

@@shawnn7502 didnt agassi dominated australia from 2000-2003 and he was stopped mainly by sampras and federer at us open,also forget rosewall winnng slam at 37 years old,not so different from federer of right now

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@@shawnn7502 . Exactly!!!! Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have benefitted enormously from (1) the lack of all-time great players (especially all-time great serve-and-volley players like McEnroe, Laver, Kramer, Sampras, Edberg and Becker) to challenge them in their era and (2) the deplorable changes in the game - the lubricated strings that add 20% more spin to the ball, the larger Type3 tennis ball, the harder Type1 tennis ball, the slowed-down courts, the abandonment of the lightening-fast indoor supreme court carpet surface that favors net play over baseline play and the total absence of serve-and-volley players on the men's pro tennis tour, which explains those 3 players grossly inflated and disproportionate statistical achievements compared to those of the all-time great male players of the past! If the men's pro game were to return to the conditions of the game during the pre-2000's era , ban the lubricated strings, the larger Type3 tennis ball, the harder Type1 tennis ball, bring back the indoor supreme court carpet surface for tournament play and require the male pro players to play with wood or metal 70-square inch head-size rackets and put any 4-6 of the greatest male players of all-time on the men's pro tour during the Federer, Djokovic and Nadal era with all of the players at the very peak of their respective primes, and without any question whatsoever you would see Federer,Djokovic and Nadal's statistical accomplishments plummet by at least 50%!

[@bcuser2]

To many people Mac seems a strange player , but few coordination depends on anticipation , there is no elegance , no regoularity ,BUT it's easy to coordinate staying 1 meter out of the line , try the same staying 1 meter in. This player loved the risk to probe his talent in any point , one of the reasons for being so amazing.

[@fjccommish]

Lendl was a very good in an era of greats. When the greats were off their game, Lendl could hang and win. When the greats waned, Lendl was a very good in a field of goods, and he had his time.

[@jeffstell9146]

The 84 Wimbledon and US Open finals, McEnroe played damn near perfect to demolish Jimmy and Lendl. Can't believe this US Open was his last Slam win.

[@michaelgarza8271]

This is the real John McEnroe, not 85 and onward.

[@TLDel]

This would turn out to be McEnroe's last major title. God how I miss this time in my life.

[@absoluteb22]

Awesome.

[@Stiffjab71]

I think the only possible question watching Johnny Mac playing like this is:"how could he lose 3 matches in 1984"?

[@jansnauwaert1785]

Good match. 1984 was McEnroe's best year.

[@seeteshmohapatra3200]

McEnroe was a phenomenon in 84. However in 85 he was a pale shadow of his own self. He lost to unheralded novices and in subsequent years also he couldn't regain the form of 84 and consistently lost to Ivan Lendel every where. Loss of 85 U.S open final to Lendel broke his back and never recovered from the agony.

[@sama4978]

BIG 1984

[@hemil]

I didnt remember Who won...so when I have seen HE won...I am happy.

[@seeteshmohapatra3200]

By 84 Ivan Lendl had become a force to reckon with after winning French open earlier that year. However in this match he looks like a kid infront of mighty McEnroe. Perhaps the greatest match of his career.

[@MrHelp-yd4kn]

And you know what? Mac has the greatest career of any post player. So don't feel sorry for him. People hand on his words man. And you know what? His brother is pretty close to being able to listen to. So MAC ain't doin all that bad. Mac is doing well. Insane pair of hands but if you got him into a baseline battle, he didn't like it. We all have our achilles. but I love Mac...

[@kingarthurusatenniscoach1415]

That was a wonderful piece of a written article, As a coach you are correct. Mac relied on his hands and never had fundamentals. His ground strokes were technically poor. Also the weed factor Mac was taking regularly BBC documentary Chrissie Hynde of the pretenders called him a pot head

[@danielkelegian5306]

Mac at his peak. Unstoppable!!

[@juancristobalguzman2200]

Close to awesome

[@joelfick]

1984. Was Orwell for or against John McEnroe?

[@MrHelp-yd4kn]

Friend that I played, played him in a tournament. I used to beat this guy routinely. I never liked tennis all that much. I only played four months a year. What did this kid say? Same thing I noticed about Mac. Great talent. Great serve. But if you got the serve back, you had a chance. After he did a lot of drugs. I think his serve, it didn't swerve so much. This is my opinion. But in my opinion also. The Mac serve oririginally, before he got into the New York lifestyle, was the most dynamic serve in tennis history.

[@garycostello2949]

It was more the hip injury which took away a lot of the sting on his serve. Prior to that I agree his serve was lethal

[@geraldinefossler9167]

Great match.go mcenroe

[@JGldmn333]

The REAL final, as we all know, was the previous match against Jimmy Connors. Won in 5 riveting sets.

[@MrHelp-yd4kn]

Incredible serve. It fuggin bamboozled the crowd and the players Gotta give the guy credit. He had no body, he had some jigs and jives and he did have some speed. But he took that serve, to greatness. I don't know who created that serve. But it was the craziest, wildest serve of all time. It made Borg quit. May the creator stand up. Sure the kid had sick hands and all that, but his serve freaked everyone out, till Lendl, told him to fugg off

[@ChristianCentury2000]

Ivan Lendl earned his presence in four consecutive US Open finals and lost in his first three consecutive attempts! Nevertheless, Ivan NEVER GAVE UP! He won in his fourth consecutive appearance in the US Open final in 1985! He refused to give up.

[@yacovmitchenko1490]

McEnroe played an excellent match. He was at his peak while Lendl still hadn't reached his.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

It still is so incredible that McEnroe never won another singles major after this dominant defeat of Lendl in the 1984 U.S. Open final!

[@egdowney1]

Mc did the same anilalation of Conners at Wimbledon in 84.

[@wreckim]

Domination...though it was about to end for Mac. BTW, it's quite incredible just how bad all the video from the earlier sports events is. There were some golf matches that were produced in the 60s by Shell's Wonderful World of Golf...which are in marvelous restored versions. I'm figuring, that kind of camera work and technology was rare for sporting events.

[@opencurtin]

This after Lendl beat Mac in the French so nice revenge for Mac but he really should have won the French to complete the slam of titles ...

[@joemarchand8313]

Um....Australian?

[@judsonwall8615]

Australian wasn’t a true major then. Most of the top guys didn’t bother to show up and a lot of years they would have so many people not show up they had to give most players a first round bye. If Mac would’ve won FO, that would’ve been as good as a grand slam imo. Plus he would’ve been the overwhelming favorite on the Australian grass, as he definitely would’ve played it that year if he still had a shot for the grand slam.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@@judsonwall8615 . Even though the Australian Open was not as respected as the other three majors from the 1970's through most of the 1980's, it was nonetheless a "true" major tournament! Even if McEnroe had defeated Lendl at Roland Garros in 1984, winning the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open would not have been equal to winning all four majors in the same year!

[@msiroi01]

McEnroe destroyed Lendl's 2nd serve by taking it extremely early with low, angled approach shots in the end of the 2nd and entire 3rd set. Mac's serve was on point also in 2nd & 3rd sets. For some reason, Lendl tries to repeatedly serve and volley, but his volley is atrocious. Mac hits some beautiful passing shots for those that think he had no baseline game. I will say, though, that when he had time to set up, Lendl's backhand was a thing of beauty. Only performance better than this for Mac was his absolute destruction of Connors in '84 Wimbledon final...3 total unforced errors!

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

Lendls backhand was textbook. Great knee bend. I honestly never liked him growing up, but almost every shot of Lendls, other than the volley, was gorgeous to watch. I was kind of young to appreciate it then, but he was graceful as anything on the tennis court. Different from Mac, but beautiful to watch as well.

[@jasoncowell5133]

2 unforced errors actually. I know...insane

[@michaelbarlow6610]

Actually, I believe McEnroe only made 2 unforced errors in the 1984 Wimbledon final against Connors and only lost 3 points on his serve in that match!

[@mikepersich3148]

McEnroe overwhelming.

[@samgriffith5528]

This is so interesting to watch just to know what happened in 1984

[@HCaulfield115]

Lendl probably serve like 140 mph with today’s racquets n strings

[@juandi2570]

Can you imagine Pete Sampras with today’s racket technology?

[@HCaulfield115]

Ivan Garcia bombing 135-145 into spots I imagine lol

[@RPete100]

Revenge for the French Open. Mac still has nightmares about the French final.

[@kazitude1]

Complete ass whipping!! Johnny Mac at his best Racket was like a wand in his hand

[@ianwilliamson2980]

Mac at his best

[@jeffreybeshears8211]

I would have had a mansion and a yacht like elmer j fudd if I'd wagered on draft kings that this would have been mac's last slam win.

[@jaspartheghost526]

Can't believe how they keep announcing the stats that come on screen with no comment. Bozo's. Newcombe was the only one worth listening to.

[@leliondescavernes1747]

J'aurais été vraiment intrigué devant une finale McEnroe Cash,si l'australien avait pu convertir sa balle de match face à Lendl en demi-finale....

[@maddymud]

Do we think if he had won the French that year he would have scheduled in the Australian after this victory?

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@maddymud. Although there is no question that had McEnroe not botched the 1984 French Open final against Lendl, he would have definitely traveled to Australia in December of that year to attempt to complete the Grand Slam. But it would not, by any means, have been easy. First, McEnroe had a very tempestuous relationship with the Australian press, so there would have been that pressure. And, of course, there would also have been the self-imposed pressure of attempting to win the Grand Slam for the first time since Laver achieved it in 1969. Second, as Navratilova pointed out accurately, serve-and-volleyers have a difficult time playing on the grass courts at the old Kooyong Stadium because the courts are slightly angled downhill from the net to the baselines for drainage purposes, which means that serve-and-volleyers have to run uphill to get to the net on those courts which is physically tiring over the course of 7 matches. Players are also tired at the end of the long tennis season in December and have to travel that long distance to Australia to compete in that major. One also has to remember that McEnroe incredibly lost to Wilander in the semifinals of the 1983 Australian Open which is amazing since Wilander, as good a player as he was, was nowhere near the great grass court player that McEnroe was and was nowhere near his peak as a player which was not until 5 years later in 1988, the year Wilander won 3 of the 4 majors. But had McEnroe won the Grand Slam in 1984, there is no question whatsoever that most tennis experts and knowledgeable tennis fans would consider him to be the greatest male tennis player of all-time because he would have won the Grand Slam on three different surfaces, whereas Budge and Laver "only" won it on two different surfaces.

[@maddymud]

@@michaelbarlow6610 - thanks for the thoughtful words

[@tobytaggert7369]

john took his shirt off to get air on his body AS SOON as the match ended and looked like he was about to die after the match, EVEN THOUGH HE WON !

[@rolfbernserke4735]

That was a complete massacre

[@stephenstephen1505]

Borg was also finished by age 26

[@surfshack2]

That ball was in at 32:59

[@canadiantennispro]

lendl just cant volley

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Une finale pas si facile que cela face à un très bon lendl, pour big mac

[@antonboludo8886]

McEnroe was winning RG against Lendl but then gassed out. Otherwise he would have had won the top 3 tournaments.

[@ianwilliamson2980]

After Tatum came his game fell apart

[@stevel.2759]

At the end Lendl said i'm good lol

[@tonymaner5510]

At 40:53 The linesman felt asleep...Mac was right

[@jontyarnold8522]

Shame the final wasn’t against Connors, a much better match…

[@seeteshmohapatra3200]

McEnroe was on rampage

[@joukohalonen1578]

Bill Tilden once said I am sometimes called a chop stroke player - my stroke is a slice. Lendl's game too was an orthodox one but he couldn't swift it to attack like his opponent, then he didn't match serve and volleyer's. But he had an answer to that - it ran; Sherlock Holmes once said I never guess: He did the most thing to become No.1: changed the game how it was played! 'Jesus of Nazaret': " God is coming Do not shut the door on his face?" What is meaning to be does not exist: Of God is not Human. 1 /2

[@chasam1234]

Didnt know George Bush Snr commentated on Tennis.

[@victorpegala2698]

Recherche match lendl noah 1/4 de finale 83 Roland Garros Introuvable

[@brianmcdonald7233]

54.59

[@blex5579]

mac making sure the crowd would have his six with his USA sweater...pathetic really.

[@zefallafez]

He was very loyal to playing in the World Cup tournaments.

[@tedkier3264]

grrrr! i wanted to see a superbrat meltdown!

[@carlh429]

33:05 GROW SOME HAIR! 😂

[@PerJohansson-be6ky]

Comeonjihnnie

[@fitzyehboah8289]

Mcenroe / Becker / Lendle / Edberg / Courier / Rafter / Never won Slams in there 30s... Lendle true warrior fans and press never liked him... Sports illustrated headline ' The champion no one cares about ' ...

[@ParkAvenueGentleman]

Don't forget Borg. He never won a Grand Slam in his thirties, either.

[@jeffcostello4779]

Interested in more games with McEnroe, Connors and Borg on DVD? Mail me for a list at: [e-mail]