Connors Vs. Borg: (Part 2) 1977 Boca Raton Final

Hey Tennis fans. This is Final Set highlights. This match was played on a green/grey claylike surface known as Har-Tru which back then had also been the same surface used for the U.S. Open. Commentators are Pat Summerall and Tony Trabert.
Note: I do not own the rights of this. Am merely a Tennis enthusiast and felt that this vintage era of tennis should be seen and enjoyed on the really popular facility You Tube.

[@carseye1219]

Amazing how sometimes our memories fail us. I thought Borg almost always came over the top on his two hander, with topspin. But, watching this, he hit some slice and basically pushed back some flat ones. Most two handers would go to the one hand to hit slice.

[@stephanearthaud8308]

Le son de la raquette de Borg ! Et cette façon de s'en sortir, après des coups si courts. Un document, vraiment.

[@tenniscollector]

Thanks for your comments. My friend, glad you liked the Vid. No I don't think it has been uploaded as yet. Check out the 1981 Boca West final between John McEnroe and Guillermo Vilas.

[@lawrencegarrison3792]

That's as excited as I've seen Borg after a win.

[@bloomintokyoseoul]

Yes he got a little emotional throughout this match. There are clues as to why he exulted so much at the end if one views the end of the second set.

[@ericdurville6306]

Bjorn BORG : the greatest tennis player of all time !

[@paologalliani4172]

i think so too...Borg is the tennis

[@danielkurtovic9099]

different era , too bad that he is retired so early.

[@suatkayatennis]

Thanks for uploading such a treasure

[@abdiver12]

Connors was an underrated clay court player and if he hadn't been banned from Roland Garros, I have no doubt he'd have won it at least once and maybe even gotten a calendar slam in 1974 when he won the other 3 as well. Thanks for the great video.

[@ag358]

Yes, he lost 5 straight years, starting in74 .all for signing on with team tennis .his lifetime record with borg was even. He was beating borg regularly until 79, when borg had2 incredible years then burned out. Its a shame cause connors srarted playing good tennis again in 81,82and 83

[@JD-jc8gp]

Connors never won a red clay title in his life. He would not have won Roland Garros.

[@Nocturnbandofficial]

@@JD-jc8gp ... North Conway?

[@JD-jc8gp]

@@Nocturnbandofficial I think you're right. I'd long believed that North Conway was played on har-tru, but it does appear that it was played on red clay. Nevertheless, Jimmy's resume on the red clay isn't terrific.

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Je pense que Connors aurait eu du mal contre Panatta en 76 et Vilas en 77..Borg en 78 aurait écrasé Connors...même en 75,cela aurait dur contre Borg...il n'y a qu'en 74 que Connors pouvait gagner à mon avis....

[@Boab44]

Bjorn Borg Is My Favourite Player Of All Time. 😀

[@DaggerMan11]

Wait, the ball kids used to celebrate at the end of matches?!

[@madmax5144]

They were sweddish ha ha ha. Or maybe they were fed up and sicked and tired and wanted to get back home.

[@johanronnung1665]

Connors with his powerful stroks looks like a winner, but Borg with his fast feet is there and hits back. Very annoying mentally when the ball always comes back no matter what you do.

[@moret1957]

Dos formas absolutamente diferentes,una plana,que te quita tiempo bàsicamente y la otra con efectos y topsping,mostrando una evoluciòn en el tenis que se quedarìa para siempre,màs una velocidad de piernas incomparable hacìan de Borg unos de los màs grandes jugadores de la historia ,como Laver,Nadal,o Federer.

[@studfinderball]

Compared to the Federer era, Borg is a pusher with great passing shots. He sets everything up with medium paced heavy topspin and patiently waits for an opening.

[@macwhites]

great match.alas connors lost but i really enjoyed it.good quality on the vid.thanks

[@joemarshall4226]

I remember watching this live on tv.....when Botg blew the match point in the second set, I remembered Jimmy wagging his finger at Bjorn. After Jimbo took the second set, I thought Bjorn would fold, but they didn't call him the Ice Man for nothing.....Jimbo was gracious in defeat. Notice how both used two handed slices on the backhand, and Jimmy hit hard forehand slices....these shots are underused today, especially the forehand slice....

[@stumarston6812]

3:40 LOL The ball boys celebrating Borg's win. I wonder if the chair umpire was fist pumping too?

[@dks13827]

Notice the great American crowd there.

[@zeddeka]

I get the impression Borg was nervous here. Not getting much depth on his groundstrokes, the uncharacteristic tetchiness (as seen in part 1 of this match) and his relief at winning.

[@rsmith02]

It looked like he was playing not to lose.

[@JD-jc8gp]

You could get away with short balls more in those years. With that racquet tech it was harder to punish those.

[@siberiantiger8553]

Borg was a lot strong for Connors

[@kchuk1965]

siberian tiger not a lot. Connors was his mountain to climb. He had lost to him several times in a row and did not believe he could beat Connors. This match was the turning point in their rivalry. And then Borg followed it up by defeating Connors in 5 sets at Wimbledon in July.

[@lorenzo6mm]

If only Professional Tennis kept its standards in their Teaching pros. We would still enjoy aggressive net play like Connors put on display here. Borg was physically a machine. His endurance without even breathing hard was legendary. The MASTER of the Down the Line passing shots. Clay is the devil on endurance. Power is largely neutralized even on first serves. However, on grass and hardcourts... Watching modern pros WASTE first serves is DEPRESSING ! ZERO Serve & Volley on first serves ! And they have the POWER of modern raquets !?

[@lorenzo6mm]

@Golden Calf The code is a well disguised first serve and a flat spin, twisted, inside or outside at the last millisecond ala Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and John McEnroe are the lessons. Pros are STUPID their 'coaches' are worse. Its all WAY too much over the top wasted energy & trajectory spin 1st serving. First serves are un USED weapons, unbelievable ! Even Martina Hingis had a wicked 1st serve to the outside corner, shallow angled and ultra deceptive ! Everything except clay courts should be first serve bang fests ! followed or not.

[@lorenzo6mm]

@Golden Calf Its the same thing that's happened in the NBA with the 3 point line. The NBA is a boring 3 point game with zero team work and ten guys standing around for their dribble drive or 3 point photo opp. boring UN professional "Money Ball" sports ! Without China the NBA would be history. And, tennis? 40 years ago their we're 70 MILLION people palying tennis ! Today ? 18 MILLION ! terrible and fat kids and adults everywhere ! Two handed UGLY grips and strokes baseline tennis destroyed the fan and player base ! It looks and is regressive, retarded tennis.

[@michaelhegyan7464]

Much different sport, today. As McEnroe has mentioned, that the demise of the wood en racquet, has unfortunately, taken the skill out of the game.

[@lorenzo6mm]

@@michaelhegyan7464 really ? ha ! Watch Federer do it ALL THE TIME AND WIN THOSE POINTS today! Serve & Volley. Perfect ground strokes and volleys. Feng Shui Tennis, Shaolin Tennis. the racket has changed nothing except the small minds and the Big $$$. TODAY? 99% of tennis pro's are Fantastic athlete's with zero Feng Shui ability. Its a Big Lie. Like I said watching Pro's today is an ugly Fest of Unorthodox strokes where by pros grab and hold and swat at tennis balls like retarded beginners with grips from Mentally disabled human beings. Federer proves all my points a 100 time over. The World Tennis Teaching Pros are a joke. People are getting ripped off. Its exactly like the NBA and the Three Point Line. A joke. Retarded ugly tennis and ten guys waiting for their dribble drive or 3pt photo op. BORING UGLY TURN IT OFF ....watch the NHL and NFL and Pro Baseball, Pro Surfing, Pro Skiing anything still done well. in a Sports World ! And, McEnroe? He is a forlorn,what if lost cause of what if no temper losers.

[@lorenzo6mm]

@Golden Calf Some other player? Federer does it and many could do it RIGHT NOW. Its group think conventional wisdom lunacy. If not now? when? they are pros. They are using so little of their gifts its depressing they can't SEE Sampras, McEnroe and Becker's super simple 1st Serve magic ! Followed or NOT ! EVEN Martina Hingis the tiny , short little woman even had a devastating, deceptive under powered even, first serve in her prime ! ?

[@jeffcostello4779]

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

[@MrCarloC1969]

He seemed tired, nevertheless he won

[@thebiofile17]

Facing Bjorn Borg amazon books $9.99!!!

[@nicolaavigliano1953]

Il primo che dice che il tennis di una volta era lento e prevedibile lo lego ad un sasso stretto stretto e lo butto in fondo al mare....questi sapevano giocare!!!punto

[@lawrenceedmiston3509]

Bare legs! BARK! BARK! WOOF! WOOF!

[@cumberbatchpepperpot]

I know they move better than normal athletes, but they hit at a 4.0 level by today’s standards.

[@jimmybrice6360]

i dont have respect for borg's game - total counter puncher. at their peaks, i would take connors over borg any day

[@BGK2223]

You haven't seen his five Wimbledon wins then! Adapted his game and did serve and volley. Truly exceptional!

[@jimmybrice6360]

@@BGK2223 lets talk about the majority of his matches - he was a counter puncher. he was nowhere near as good as connors at volleying, though. and not even on the same planet as mcenroe, in volleying. i dont know about today's players that much. but i know about those three, along with rosewall and laver. once again, i think connors had more talent than borg. and so did mcenroe. both jimmy and mac would win points because they could aggressively take advantage of their opponents. borg usually counter punched and outlasted his opponent. that is just a FACT. i have watched them all play hundreds of times.

[@BGK2223]

Borg 11 grand slams, connors 8; Borg 15 wins in match up’s connors 8. Enough said. Borg didn’t play as long, but dominated when he did.

[@jimmybrice6360]

@@BGK2223 like i said, borg was a counter puncher. i did not respect his abilities like i did the others. i do not think he has as much tennis skills as the others. he may very well have been a better athlete. not just as good tennis skills. borg had a better serve than connors. in every other shot, i would take connors over borg.

[@jimmybrice6360]

@@BGK2223 i assume you did not intentionally post this a dozen times ? stats can be misleading. you did not mention that 6 of his 11 grand slams were at the french open, where the winner was who was better at looping the ball over a million times to win a point. you also failed to mention that connors won 5 us opens to 0 for borg. but i will restate the only point my original post made - i do not respect borg's tennis skills when compared to connors, cuz borg was mainly a counter puncher, hoping to bore his opponent to death. jimmy and mac took aggressive stands, because they had the tools to do so. whereas borg did not.