Epic : John McEnroe, Björn Borg, and the Greatest Tennis Season Ever

by Cronin, Matthew

• ISBN13: 9780470190623
• ISBN10: 0470190620
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-04-19
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

A top tennis writer tells the story of the greatest Wimbledon, the greatest U.S. Open, and the greatest rivalry in the history of the gameThe epic 1980 Wimbledon final that ended with John McEnroe's defeat by his idol, Bjorn Borg, is considered the greatest tennis match ever. The U.S. Open final later that year, when McEnroe got his revenge, is considered the greatest U.S. Open ever. These two matches marked McEnroe's transformation from tennis player into an American icon, the high point of tennis's gigantic leap into the national consciousness, and the beginning of Borg's rapid and surprising decline. This book takes you back to that amazing summer at the height of the golden age of tennis. Includes fascinating details about John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg both on and off the court, from grueling practice sessions to late-night partying Packed with stories and anecdotes of top tennis players and coaches, including Vitas Gerulaitis, Mary Carillo, Lennart Bergelin, and others Highlights a pivotal moment in the evolution of the game?from quiet to loud, from wood to metal racquets, and from European to American dominance Written by veteran tennis writer and analyst Matthew CroninWhether you're a longtime tennis fan or a recent convert, Epic will give you a deeper understanding of the game and of two of the most amazing players ever to have played it.

Author Biography

Matthew Cronin is the main tennis columnist for Fox Sports and a senior writer for Inside Tennis magazine. He contributes regularly to Reuters and USTA.com and appears fre-quently as a tennis analyst on radio and television stations throughout the United States and abroad. He is the main writer for TennisReporters.net, the award-winning, second-largest pro tennis site in the United States, and is a radio analyst at all the Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Foreword	p. xiii
Introduction: July 5, 1980	p. 1
Wimbledon
Taming a Passionate Spirit	p. 7
A Losing Set Is Not So, Much after All	p. 19
ôA Little Boy or a Midget in Disguise?ö	p. 23
Better Call a Cab	p. 42
The Sport's First Rock Star	p. 46
ôI Can Do Anything with a Tennis Ballö	p. 70
France to Stanford	p. 74
A Four-Hour Match	p. 92
ôBorg Is Borgö	p. 96
The Battle Begins	p. 111
To the Ends of the Earth	p. 114
Both Still Alive	p. 125
In Search of the True Genius	p. 128
The War of 18-16	p. 146
ôA Notch above Son of Samö	p. 149
Love and Sets	p. 165
The Genius Tested in London	p. 181
True Nature	p. 195
ôSomething in Me Wiltedö	p. 207
Living the Moments	p. 211
The U.S. Open
Rock of Gibraltar	p. 221
The Cowboy Bucks Up	p. 226
ôI Didn't Know What Was Happeningö	p. 234
The North Star of Vitas	p. 237
Willing and Able	p. 243
Among the Bad Actors	p. 247
Frozen in Time	p. 251
ôYou Are Not Going to See a Tougher Oneö	p. 254
ôPoetry Written on Waterö	p. 261
Epilogue: The End of a Great Rivalry	p. 266
Bibliography	p. 275
Index	p. 279
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