McEnroe vs Bjorn..The summer of 1980

​it was the summer of 1980, they called it ‘Fire vs Ice’,
The occasion to savour and look to entice,
The fiery Mac got off to a flying start 
His aim to dethrone the Swede began by playing his part.

Then the American was looking to take two set lead, 
But then Borg upped his gear to force the hot headed American to plead.

The power of the game shifted
These two powerhouses of this era fighting to reign supreme,
These tennis players were both gracious and stern, and exposed like a tennis fans’ dream.

Back and forth, this is how the match went,
The fourth set was one to saviour for the ages,
Borg having match points but the American stood diligently strong,
This was a war of attrition as the winning line started to become longer and long.

The fourth set tie breaker no one could ever forget,
The strike of the tennis ball was hit hard and true, 
match and set points came and went,
The power struggle from these two majestic athletes unleashed an almighty vent.

It reached 7-6 to Borg and 15-40 on the American’s serve, 
Then he won his fifth SW19 title through a cross court which went roaring past,
This unfortunately was the Swede's last Wimbledon title, yet the memory from this match will unforgettably last.

“Borg defeating McEnroe 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (16-18), 8-6 to win his fifth successive Wimbledon Men’s singles title in 1980”
Jason 
25th January 2026