Connors and Borg

This is from the great U.S. Open final of 1976, Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• tennis
• Connors
• Borg

[harry1035]

that not the us open

[krosero]

The US Open was played at Forest Hills before 1978.

[guatonico]

what kind of surface is it?

[krosero]

It's Har-Tru clay, the most common type of clay courts in the U.S. It rewards power somewhat more than the slow red clay common in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere.

[nasnek]

Connors won US Open on 3 different surfaces. One of the greatest achievements in Tennis.

[bevanne12]

i remember this final...Sports Illustrated called in a Duel of Pace and Power and that's exactly what it was. These guys were hitting it deep every time, hitting lines. It was a great match that is not referred to that much.

[belitnakoff]

It was a different game than what was played beginning in the Sampras Agassi era. Sampras simply overpowered guys from the service line. Agassi just pounded guys into submission .and Federer and Del Po can do both

[TheTopspin77]

No problem. This was a great match! Thanks for responding positively.

[guyrichmond7]

You're absolutely right...I went back after my comment and remembered that it was Har Tru...I actually saw this match when it happened and I don't know why I didn't remember it as Har Tru, but you are right!

[TheTopspin77]

It is Har Tru which is a form of clay!

[guyrichmond7]

On the contrary it was a power game...those two hit the ball much harder than other players of the previous era...compared to today they didn't hit the bal hard, but that's racquet technology, but both were known for huge groundstrokes...in that day they were the players that pounded the ball off the ground...oh and Vilas too...Lendl is who started the new era we are in today. Once again tho that's technology and also lifting weights...no one lifted back then other than Vilas.

[belitnakoff]

The type of game that was played in that era was not the power game that DelPo and Rafa play but it was about guile and tactics and strategy. Both ways are fun to watch

[guyrichmond7]

It's not Har Tru...in 1976 the Open was played at Forest Hills...on real clay...it was brown, not like the red clay at Roland Garros. Connors beat Rosewall @ Forest Hills in 1974 on grass, lost to Orantes in '75 on clay, beat Borg in '76 on clay. lost to Vilas in 77 there on clay and beat Borg on hard courts when the Open moved to Flushing Meadow in 78.