The match was eagerly awaited as not only was it a clash between the top two seeds, it was also viewed as a meeting of opposites: Borg was the Iceman, a ruthless baseliner who used his racket to probe other players' weaknesses like a surgeon wielding a scalpel.

McEnroe was the Brat, a modern genius in the old-fashioned craft of serve and volley, who often gave the impression that his real opponent was the umpire, or himself, or anyone other than the person standing on the other side of the net.

[4]At the start of the final, McEnroe was booed by the crowd as he entered Centre Court, because of the heated exchanges he had had with officials during his semi-final victory over Jimmy Connors.

[9] The New York Times tennis writer Neil Amdur wrote in 2011: "I covered the 1980 Wimbledon men’s singles final between McEnroe and Borg.

Until the 2008 Nadal–Federer classic at the All England Club, the Borg–McEnroe five-setter at Wimbledon was the greatest tennis match I had ever seen, but after watching chunks of the 3:53 McEnroe–Borg final at an HBO screening, I am tempted again to reaffirm its place as the sport’s single most compelling piece of court magic".