Tennis: John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg Turn Back the Clock to Help for the Future

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at Internationaled.org

Published: July 15, 2011

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They are a little gray of hair and long in the tooth, but the two icons still know how to fill a house and bring back the memories.  So it was on Thursday night, at the Sportime Tennis Facility on Randall’s Island in New York, that John McEnroe faced his old rival Bjorn Borg for the first time in New York since the early 1980s.  Ironically, it was not nostalgia night for World TeamTennis, but a fundraiser for the future of the sport (the John McEnroe Tennis Academy) that brought McEnroe and Borg back together.  Regardless of the reason, it was a memorable mid-July night for all of the capacity crowd of just over 2,300 in attendance.

“We are friends for a long time, and when John asked I would never say no to help,” Borg said during a pre-match press conference.  “This is a great facility and a great cause and it's in New York, so if I can help, I always will.”

Borg was a fill-in for the night, taking a slot that Jimmy Connors was supposed to have had before withdrawing due to injury.  McEnroe’s next ask at the last minute was to Borg, who accepted the challenge while the two were in St. Tropez last week.  “Bjorn would have been my No. 1 choice,” McEnroe said.

“He was the only guy above what Jimmy was bringing.”

No, it wasn’t the over-the-top celebrity extravaganza that the US Open is, but it had its own celebrity cache including Billie Jean King, actress Holly Hunter, former Mayor David Dinkins and an assortment of uber models and beautiful people.  It even had a visit from Hans Backe, fellow Swede and coach of the New York Red Bulls, who presented Borg and McEnroe, both big soccer fans, with jerseys reflective of their number of Grand Slam titles, 11 for Bjorn, 17 for Johnny Mac.

As far as the tennis went, it had its share of rallies and well-placed shots, with McEnroe eventually taking the set 5-4 (although the Freedoms won the ni...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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