I started playing with wooden racquets back when I was a kid. Still have all of them! Boy they feel heavy for their size! But yeah...you're right...they required finesse and strength! :) I mean, smaller head size, smaller sweet spot, they forced players to master all kinds of shots from all kinds of positions, not only the favorite Nadal-style "stay-onthe-baseline-and-hammer-at-his-backhand" shots.
RazorSharpTM Not too bad at all Nadal, not too many tennis players know much more than get a good service today, something loved by the lazy spectators, I think his style isn,t too far from the one of Borg or Wilander, really admired by the spanish players, and the real base of them, as the one of Federer is near Laver, perhaps a Zverevian terrible style is better if you don,t like that kind of tennis
Thanks for uploading. For some of those commenting, please consider that the legendary Rod Laver is 38 years old here. 38, playing against a 20-. year old Borg - who would become an all-time great. Also, the technology was radically different then, and they're playing on slow clay. If you can't appreciate how effortlessly both players move and how Rod just flicks the ball around from both wings and has a beautiful volley, then this is lost on you. One also has to compare players somewhat by..
These guys are legends. Would be winning now too with better rackets. Anyone that knows tennis knows these guys had great movement and great skills which would have transferred over to today....
I played with wooden rackets with my son up until 1983, then switched to modern rackets, and found how much easier the game was to play, a testimony to the true and natural structure of the original racket.
I was ball boy for a match Borg played in a satellite tournament in Washington D.C. in either 1973 or 1974. Can't recall the name of his opponent who muttered the whole match about the sick spin that Borg put on the ball. At times he was driven all the way back to the fence having to deal w/ all the top spin. Borg didn't say a word or make a sound the whole match and thanked me and the other 2 ball boys at the end.
I watched Borg play indoor in Toronto in the early 70's. He had a great stoic approach to the game, which was in sharp contrast to McEnroe and Connors. Their matches were always good against evil to me. Of the modern players Nadal plays most like Borg. Watching this gave me a greater appreciation of Laver.
Wow ... thank you for that insight! Ha ... we see that on steroids with McEnroe ... _to the point he used it as a strategy to put the other player off_ ... I don't think it ever worked with Borg ... and to thank the Ball Boys ... well, his character has depth! What a treasured memory you have there!
Omg, wonderful tennis, two absolute legends on the court! Laver was outstanding but Borg had it all, the first modern tennis icon. Thanks for the amazing upload!
Perfect, Beautiful and Classic Tenis. Young kids must to know that in wooden rackets the sweet spot had the size of a coin. Plus, to hit a ball with top spin was really, REALLY difficult.
I was fortunate to have watched Laver play Ken Rosewall on clay in a final at the Volvo International in North Conway, NH. I also go the see Rosewall play a young Jimmy Connors the following year. I modeled my slice backhand on Rosewall and flat forehand drive on Connors. Got to see a young John McEnroe play Connors on hard court in Boston. McEnroe impressed me with how he changed spin, used the whole court and constantly attached the net. Later got to watch McEnroe play Davis Cup on Grass at Newport Tennis Hall of Fame. Absolutely the best volley that I have seen watching lots of Professional Tennis. His touch was absolutely amazing.
I understand that the one-grip play (continental for about everything) evolved when most of the major tournaments were played on fast grass. This style of play worked on that surface. It would not work even in the minor leagues of modern tennis today. The great problem of not changing grips for different strokes is that you can get by without using the off hand to set up the stroke. The difference is most apparent on the backhand drive. Laver only faintly uses the off hand on that shot. As a result he doesn't get much of a turn on his torso and doesn't load up the deltoid muscles. Players like Gasquet, Federer, Wawrinka and Thiem get amazing power and top spin on the backhand because they are using a full western grip and use the large shoulder muscles to power the shot. Boris Becker was the first player to really get the modern backhand right. Even Lend's backhand is not quite there. He seems to use a semi-western grip and doesn't load up the shoulder and have the same full follow through as Becker and today's one-handed players do. Lendl was a big strong guy and could get away with somewhat arming the backhand. Again, Laver's backhand was fine for its time but is archaic by today's standards.
Well thank you for that. Takes me way back to a very different time. There may have been a lot of things wrong with the world, but tennis wasn't one of them. It was watching Rod Laver that made me love tennis. I still watch it and love it today just as much.
When I started to play tennis Rod Laver was the guy I liked best. His backhand was so flawless. It is hard to watch these matches against Connors Or Borg. They were coming up head strong and Rod's best days were behind him. Still he is one of the greatest ever! Thanks for this upload it was good quality too.
Borg is so different than all other players . He started a new era in Tennis . His backhand is still the most precise shot in the game as his nerve control.
Rod Laver had reached the Wimbledon final in 1959 and lost to Olmedo and he was still competitive in 1976!!!! 17 years later after his first GS final!!!
Great stuff. That's what inspired me to play, seeing these guys back then. I remember another time Borg played with Laver, Emerson and one other in doubles earlier than this. Thanks for that
I can see why Rod was great that backhand is text book perfect, and the fire in his belly was real. It seems like all the greats have that backhand. I want to see more Borg vs Laver.
People make crazy comments on here. You can not compare different times in any sport but if Laver and Borg grow up in the modern era they are still going to be great players. But in my opinion this is far better tennis to watch than the baseline power game of today.
I remember watching Laver and Borg playing in Puerto Rico in 1974. Amazing players. Back then Borg was skinnier, if you could believe that. I would have never predicted Borg turned out to be a superstar.
It's only in the past few years that people have startwd leaving Rod Laver out of 'GOAT' discussions but now watching him play I can see why he is so highly regarded. Perfect tennis!
Not that uncommon back then - chip and charge. In 1971 I played in a doubles match against Whitney Reed (US #1 in 50s), and he did something like that on almost every point.
On youtube, perhaps, but if any of the networks decided to replay the old footage, it would look 10x better than the compressed crap you're seeing here.
Excellent quality clip its surreal when you think it's mid 70s but it's so clear and you can here rod muttering to himself. Love it never seen laver play so impressed its just amazing tennis with those antique bats. These guys are freaks!!!
just from this short clip, it's easy to see that Borg and Laver were 2 of the best to ever play the game. The point at 2:29 is a great example of that. Borg reminds me a lot of Nadal, in that he tracks down literally everything. And Laver has amazing volleys
I’m so happy to find this good footage of great tennis . This is from when I was 13 or 14 and crazy about tennis, played every day and loved watching the greats on TV. I was becoming a big fan of Björn Borg but of course had massive respect for the legendary Rocket.
Two great players, one at the end of his career and one just beginning, still a great match by two champions of the past, we all get older folks and lose that speed and mental dexterity, and physical power.
Beautiful tennis. Small wooden racquets. These ground strokes and serves are not powerful but they are precise and have a lot of spin. Beautiful shot making. Great angles and creativity. Players today just blast the ball and they all play the same style, same technique.
Because they use much better technology today. Those wood racquets were heavy with a tiny little sweet spot. It required better athletic ability back then.
@@bradhuskers Players today have better lateral movement from the baseline because they have to. Players then had better front back movement and great touch volleys. Sweet spot on wood rackets was miniscule. If you tried to crush every ball like you can now with very forgiving modern rackets you would mis-hit. But you were safer at the net because blazing fast passing shots were less likely. Give modern players wood rackets and several months to adapt and they would look pretty much like 70s players.
@@stuartdryer1352 I've played. The difference between a heavy wooden racquet and the racquets of today is LIGHT YEARS. It's an advantage in every possible way imaginable. I know. I've used every racquet over the past 45 years plus. This sport, more than any other, has the greatest disparity between technology and the effects that it's had on the actual game. Your take was laughably ignorant. Golf is the other sport where the equipment has really been made light years better due to technology. But tennis has golf beat in the huge difference.
In a match two that are the evolution of world tennis to date together with Federer!! Rod Laver a natural giant made of high precise fundamentals in a wrist game!! We know everything about Borg and he has it together brought interest in tennis into a sport with a huge following!! Three Giants Who Are The Game Of Tennis
I remember this series. They used to award a Ford Club Wagon Van for the player with the most aces so when we at the local courts whenever somebody served an Ace somebody would say: And there' s another one for the Club Wagon!
Yeah it been 30 years since I the last time I saw Laver hit,I forgot he hit so hard,that is what maid me a fan too...I remember his muscular arm for a tennis guy he looked very strong and muscular overall...thanks great video
This is incredible on clay laver move's so beautifully with his serve volleying his all court game is remarkable and Borg was dominating at that time on clay.
Laver pretty much discovered Borg. He brought the kid back from Sweden and toured the U.S. with him playing exhibition matches. I saw them play in Corning, N.Y. about 1970 or so. They split sets and then Laver won the third. At the time, I thought that Laver gave away the second set, but now I'm not so sure. Nobody asked Borg for his autograph afterward, everybody mobbed Laver. I could have gone up and shook Borg's hand, but I thought I'd never hear about the kid again.
Borg also played (& beat in a practice match) Ivanisevic during his early 90s comeback, but other than that his comeback to try to escape bankruptcy fell flat. But still one of those thought provoking "did you know..?" Kind of like how old Pancho Gonzales played & beat players like Borg, Ashe, Newcombe; Agassi played both Connors and Nadal on the atp tour, and Muster & Theim played a match on the challenger tour in 2011
@@seattenber In 1970 he would have been 14. You are making this up. Borg's young years are totally documented. He came on the scene in 1973 at Wimbledon aged 17 in the ATP boycott year and basically single handedly saved that years' tournament. He didn't win, but for the first time in history tennis made the front pages of the newspapers rather than just a back column somewhere due to the sensation he created. Before this he was unknown.
It's a very interesting matchup, not very realistic in terms of comparing performance though. Laver is 18 years older, Borg must have been in his early 20's here, that puts Laver at almost 40. Rod was at his peak in the early-mid 1960's. Still fun to watch.
This is also an incredibly interesting matchup because this is an early example of a topspin vs. flat shots competition, but on the faster courts conducive to serve-and-volley and flat shot techniques. Very interesting. I would have very much liked to have seen Bjorn Borg in 1980 vs. Rod Laver in 1965. That would be a legendary matchup.
this is laver at 38 years of age. this man is undisputedly the greatest of all time. he has no weaknesses. he has brute power and topspin plus net play and finesse. he reminds me of a pit bull terrier.
Don't need the best power if you can chase down every ball, hit top spin passing shots and wait for opponent to mess up (especially back then, competitive at the very top but from what I've seen, competition and athleticism wasn't too amazing throughout the rankings compared to anywhere near today. Not saying Borg was a pusher, far from, but he understood how to train, compete and win/ dominate) Edit: Also of course his serve was great, really helps with winning any match
That was power in the 1970s. Maybe the ball doesn't travel as quickly in the wood racket era, but Borg's power was in the insane topspin he generated. Laver was well-known for topspin from both sides as well. Clay was Borg's best surface at the time and the least comfortable for Laver. It took Borg several more years to become great on every surface the way Laver dominated in the 1960s.
Bjorn Borg actually never lost to Laver and they met 3 times. Apart from clay also on carpet and hard court. At that time older player could compete because of the rackets involved more skill to master and produced slower shots. Today it is Bjorn Borgs way of plays that dominates, not serve and volley(modern rackets). Additionally Bjorn Borg did not have the same problem with Lavers serve as for Mcenroe . But I have great respect for Laver together with Borg is among the top 5-6 players ever.
@@nikita-dh5je In ATP events (Grand Prix at the time) it should have said. I was not familiar with those WCT matches 8 years ago when I made the comment. Possibly they met in exhibition matches as well.
@@nikita-dh5je Very hard to say, I would say Borg still had the best opportunities on grass and clay, considering how well he played there, the low bounce on grass made his relatively weak volley a weapon. Combined with his fast legs. That was not the case in US open(higher bounce) and he never won there. Both used wooden rackets, (even Donnay at times) and the racket technology hardly changed during those years. You can of course be right, that indoors and clay could be better but I am not sure (I know Laver was extremely good on grass). Also if both are given the same opportunities, then it is even harder. But let me say it like this if both were playing at peak level at the same time: no grand slam with Borg around and no 5 straight Wimbledon wins with Laver. I rank both very high on the best ever list.
With even the first shot in the video you know a great player is playing: not many even today would attempt a forehand volley from no man's land, and then for a winner placement!
Laver was 38 years old in that match. He was in great shape, especially considering the lack of knowledge in sports medicine/nutrition in the 70's. And the young Borg was only 20 years old.
...what they did in their eras. Laver won 11 majors but had two calendar year (true) Grand Slams 7 years apart,,,we don't know how many more majors he would have won between 1963-67 if it were an open era. Borg "only" won 11, but retired at age 25 and only played the Australian one year. Most would easily call these two in the Top 5 players of the last 50-60 years, along with most likely Federer and Nadal, and probably Sampras. Respect the legends!
I remember these matches. The Tennis Renaissance of the 1970's led ABC Sports to sponsor these invitational tournaments and offer BIG money that was not seen before in the sport of tennis. The location was Coral Gables or Boca Raton and the surface was Har-Tru Green Clay....a surface that slowed things down for longer points and more ground strokes. They all played there.....Borg, Ashe, Connors, Laver, Newcombe, Evert, King.
Great video! Both are iconic legends!. I remember playing tennis with a the Wilson BLX Six.One 95 tennis racquet which has a 95sq.in headsize and thought that was rather small! Those wooden racquets had a 75sq.in headsize!. Amazing how those guys could even hit the ball!
Huge Borg fan, I think it significant that highest peak ELO ratings in Open tennis were Djoker, Fed and Borg. But NY was his Achilles heel: couldn't win it on clay or HC
Yes Borg was one of the all time greats and equalled Laver's 11 majors, but he never won a Grand Slam whereas Laver won 2!! Laver in this match was 18yrs older than Borg and still played a competitive match that he could have won. Prince maybe but not a KING...
@@Gregoryt700 indeed, not being able to win on clay in NY was a head scratcher for me. He had a big serve too throughout his career unlike Nadal and I think the crowds + fate had something to do with it.
Some of the best quality 70s footage I've seen. Great tennis too.
Wait until AI remasters all these old matches.
MASSIVE, MASSIVE respect for these 2 legend gentleman!
Rod lavor is in my old sports books
@@lloydkline1518 Laver
Watching a Borg-laver is an absolute joy.
This is my first time ever seeing Laver play. He was truly good
His volleys were sick. Watch this: th-cam.com/video/SptdffCeVmM/w-d-xo.html
Rod lavor is in my old sports books
Su juego se parecía al de Rafter.. unas voleas increíbles sacaba el señor Laver.
@@lloydkline1518 Laver
To all the young players with the negative comment, put a wooden tennis racquet in your hands and you would not be able to get the ball over the net.
I started playing with wooden racquets back when I was a kid. Still have all of them! Boy they feel heavy for their size! But yeah...you're right...they required finesse and strength! :) I mean, smaller head size, smaller sweet spot, they forced players to master all kinds of shots from all kinds of positions, not only the favorite Nadal-style "stay-onthe-baseline-and-hammer-at-his-backhand" shots.
RazorSharpTM Not too bad at all Nadal, not too many tennis players know much more than get a good service today, something loved by the lazy spectators, I think his style isn,t too far from the one of Borg or Wilander, really admired by the spanish players, and the real base of them, as the one of Federer is near Laver, perhaps a Zverevian terrible style is better if you don,t like that kind of tennis
Talk about yourself bagel you AD
Needed skill,finesse,flair in those days.Plus all court movement and intricate footwork.Proper tennis.
Yeah w the fuck said they would
Thanks for uploading. For some of those commenting, please consider that the legendary Rod Laver is 38 years old here. 38, playing against a 20-. year old Borg - who would become an all-time great. Also, the technology was radically different then, and they're playing on slow clay.
If you can't appreciate how effortlessly both players move and how Rod just flicks the ball around from both wings and has a beautiful volley, then this is lost on you. One also has to compare players somewhat by..
Nicely put 👌
These guys are legends. Would be winning now too with better rackets. Anyone that knows tennis knows these guys had great movement and great skills which would have transferred over to today....
It's technically perfect tennis very nice on the eye
@@opencurtin Indeed.
laver won 180 titles for a reason
I played with wooden rackets with my son up until 1983, then switched to modern rackets, and found how much easier the game was to play, a testimony to the true and natural structure of the original racket.
I was ball boy for a match Borg played in a satellite tournament in Washington D.C. in either 1973 or 1974. Can't recall the name of his opponent who muttered the whole match about the sick spin that Borg put on the ball. At times he was driven all the way back to the fence having to deal w/ all the top spin. Borg didn't say a word or make a sound the whole match and thanked me and the other 2 ball boys at the end.
Uurr really just made up the story.
@@yousefbhoyroo6960 I was a ball boy for Nadal when he was only 16. He was as muscular then as he's now.
Randy ......was that The Washington Star International now known as the Citiopen ?
I watched Borg play indoor in Toronto in the early 70's. He had a great stoic approach to the game, which was in sharp contrast to McEnroe and Connors. Their matches were always good against evil to me. Of the modern players Nadal plays most like Borg. Watching this gave me a greater appreciation of Laver.
Wow ... thank you for that insight! Ha ... we see that on steroids with McEnroe ... _to the point he used it as a strategy to put the other player off_ ... I don't think it ever worked with Borg ... and to thank the Ball Boys ... well, his character has depth! What a treasured memory you have there!
Omg, wonderful tennis, two absolute legends on the court! Laver was outstanding but Borg had it all, the first modern tennis icon. Thanks for the amazing upload!
Perfect, Beautiful and Classic Tenis.
Young kids must to know that in wooden rackets the sweet spot had the size of a coin. Plus, to hit a ball with top spin was really, REALLY difficult.
In fact, there was hardly ANYbody who could put top spin on a one-handed backhand. Everybody including myself used a continental grip.
I was fortunate to have watched Laver play Ken Rosewall on clay in a final at the Volvo International in North Conway, NH. I also go the see Rosewall play a young Jimmy Connors the following year. I modeled my slice backhand on Rosewall and flat forehand drive on Connors. Got to see a young John McEnroe play Connors on hard court in Boston. McEnroe impressed me with how he changed spin, used the whole court and constantly attached the net. Later got to watch McEnroe play Davis Cup on Grass at Newport Tennis Hall of Fame. Absolutely the best volley that I have seen watching lots of Professional Tennis. His touch was absolutely amazing.
The magic one-grip play of Mr Laver. What a wonderful champion!
Parramatta mr Lever 🆚 a modernist legend
I understand that the one-grip play (continental for about everything) evolved when most of the major tournaments were played on fast grass. This style of play worked on that surface. It would not work even in the minor leagues of modern tennis today. The great problem of not changing grips for different strokes is that you can get by without using the off hand to set up the stroke. The difference is most apparent on the backhand drive. Laver only faintly uses the off hand on that shot. As a result he doesn't get much of a turn on his torso and doesn't load up the deltoid muscles. Players like Gasquet, Federer, Wawrinka and Thiem get amazing power and top spin on the backhand because they are using a full western grip and use the large shoulder muscles to power the shot. Boris Becker was the first player to really get the modern backhand right. Even Lend's backhand is not quite there. He seems to use a semi-western grip and doesn't load up the shoulder and have the same full follow through as Becker and today's one-handed players do. Lendl was a big strong guy and could get away with somewhat arming the backhand. Again, Laver's backhand was fine for its time but is archaic by today's standards.
@@gordonipock9385 Okay, sure. Laver not in the league of the great Richard Gasquet. Thanks for the insights Gord.
Well thank you for that. Takes me way back to a very different time. There may have been a lot of things wrong with the world, but tennis wasn't one of them. It was watching Rod Laver that made me love tennis. I still watch it and love it today just as much.
Same for Borg.
When I started to play tennis Rod Laver was the guy I liked best. His backhand was so flawless. It is hard to watch these matches against Connors Or Borg. They were coming up head strong and Rod's best days were behind him. Still he is one of the greatest ever! Thanks for this upload it was good quality too.
Borg is so different than all other players . He started a new era in Tennis . His backhand is still the most precise shot in the game as his nerve control.
Yeah...um... But that's rod laver.
@@dadsfreetimeclassicgaming1220 Borg is is treating this like an expo and is playing at only about 70% here out of respect for Laver.
Laver was 36 at this time playing the best player in the world, and he was in it all the way.
Federer was still winning grand slams at 37 beating the best in the world.
@@namispondjamispond9282 no
Laver was born in 1938. In 1976 he would have been 38.
Thank you for uploading. Rarely saw Laver play and this is just so special. You have done a great service for humanity.
Rod Laver had reached the Wimbledon final in 1959 and lost to Olmedo and he was still competitive in 1976!!!! 17 years later after his first GS final!!!
Federer 2003- wimbledon champion.. Still competitive in 2020. 17 years.
@@Freethinker328 you could definitely mention them in the same breath.
@@Freethinker328 Federer had modern medicine whereas in the 70's injury rehabilitation techniques were primitive.
@@dickn.ormous1064 Correct, plus all of the non luxury travel and all the ease that money can buy.
Late to the game, but a grand slam in 62 and then 69??? Not too shabby.
Borg, Laver, two of the greatest of all time! So many great players in the 60s 70s 80s
BTW, I miss Vitas!
Great stuff. That's what inspired me to play, seeing these guys back then. I remember another time Borg played with Laver, Emerson and one other in doubles earlier than this. Thanks for that
I can see why Rod was great that backhand is text book perfect, and the fire in his belly was real. It seems like all the greats have that backhand. I want to see more Borg vs Laver.
Truth be told, they didn't really play at the same time. Laver was a comparative old man at the time Borg was at the top of his game.
Dude that backhand is horrible lmao there’s 5.0 players with better backhands
People make crazy comments on here. You can not compare different times in any sport but if Laver and Borg grow up in the modern era they are still going to be great players. But in my opinion this is far better tennis to watch than the baseline power game of today.
I agree.
I think so too.
i agree!
I’m not young and I’ve never seen these two legends play each other. Brilliance! This rackets sting.
for me these are the two greatest players ever....i would've loved to see them both at 20 play each other....amazing talent
You do chat load rubbish about the game. Game move onnnnnnnn
I remember watching Laver and Borg playing in Puerto Rico in 1974. Amazing players. Back then Borg was skinnier, if you could believe that. I would have never predicted Borg turned out to be a superstar.
Borg was one of the best ball strikers to ever play the game. His technique was good all of the time.
Laver could do anything with the ball, remember he is playing with a tiny wooden racket, borg looks so fast and fit, this was a joy to watch
How great is it to see the Rocket’s style of play up close even if its at the end of his career.
These guys are great. Playing with wooden rackets and moving the ball like they do. Awesome talents and players.
It's only in the past few years that people have startwd leaving Rod Laver out of 'GOAT' discussions but now watching him play I can see why he is so highly regarded. Perfect tennis!
Elegant tennis from a more civilised age in the game. Great match to watch!
Rod Laver the legend n. 1, bb legend Number two.
I remember how amazing and what big news it was when Rod Laver was the first to ever win over $100,000 in a single year !!
1980 Borg won Wimbledon over McEnroe. They won £20 K and £10 K respectively.
When you consider they're playing with wooden racquets the intensity of the game is unbelievable
This was the golden age of tennis. Now we are living in the platinum age.
afterwards?
The 80s was a great age with Lendl, Edberg, Mac, Wilander, Connors, Becker
@@quasar4601 the best time
@@Galimah , BUT FEDERER, Djoker and NADAL has surpassed anything by a huge huge margin
@@quasar4601 ... and yet, from time to time I still prefer to watch that art-like tennis of 80-90s. It's not about records and numbers.
Now THAT is tennis. I even saw a SABR move...before Roger.
I guess it can also be called Surprise Attack By Rod
Not that uncommon back then - chip and charge. In 1971 I played in a doubles match against Whitney Reed (US #1 in 50s), and he did something like that on almost every point.
This is beautiful to watch!!!
great footage. Such high quality and I love the camera angles.
And wow, the clay courts back then looked faster than some hard courts today!
Great video of sublime tennis by two great champions.
What exemplary athletes in their abilities as well as attitude. It is always a pleasure to watch these old time playing with a fairly modern game.
this is probably the best quality you can get for the 70s
On youtube, perhaps, but if any of the networks decided to replay the old footage, it would look 10x better than the compressed crap you're seeing here.
Excellent quality clip its surreal when you think it's mid 70s but it's so clear and you can here rod muttering to himself. Love it never seen laver play so impressed its just amazing tennis with those antique bats. These guys are freaks!!!
just from this short clip, it's easy to see that Borg and Laver were 2 of the best to ever play the game. The point at 2:29 is a great example of that. Borg reminds me a lot of Nadal, in that he tracks down literally everything. And Laver has amazing volleys
In My Opinion Bjorn Borg & Rod Laver Are The Two Greatest Players Of All Time. 🐐🐐
Every contemporary player is basically a Borg facsimile. Most influential player in modern tennis by far.
Both Connors and Lendl had a big influence on the modern game, too.
I’m so happy to find this good footage of great tennis . This is from when I was 13 or 14 and crazy about tennis, played every day and loved watching the greats on TV. I was becoming a big fan of Björn Borg but of course had massive respect for the legendary Rocket.
Thanks for posting a match between 2 legends. Prior to this I have never watched Laver play.
Rod Laver was poetry in motion. There was a beauty in how he played.
Well stated Douglas.
First time seeing Rodney Laver play……looks very impressive and he was an elder statesmen here….classy easy style on the eye. M
Note the SABR at 1:45 - surprise attack by Rod!
When I heard the commentary, I immediately knew it came from experience. How surprising to find out Pancho Gonzales commentated (GS champion!)
What beautiful and graceful tennis
I can see why McEnroe admired Rod Laver. Great touch and placement. Really good anticipation and footwork.
The camera work was so sooooo much better than today. Many different views and angles.
Two great players, one at the end of his career and one just beginning, still a great match by two champions of the past, we all get older folks and lose that speed and mental dexterity, and physical power.
Beautiful tennis. Small wooden racquets. These ground strokes and serves are not powerful but they are precise and have a lot of spin. Beautiful shot making. Great angles and creativity. Players today just blast the ball and they all play the same style, same technique.
Carlo Santin do you prefer this style of tennis ? I much prefer you can see the shots clearer it's more fluid and more the shots more varied ,
How much this sport has changed! Tennis has gotten much more physical, powerful and faster. Looked more like beautiful art back in the day.
Because they use much better technology today.
Those wood racquets were heavy with a tiny little sweet spot.
It required better athletic ability back then.
Try playing with a wood racket. It was different!
@@stuartdryer1352
100% correct
The players today would lose power with these old racquets.
No comparison
@@bradhuskers Players today have better lateral movement from the baseline because they have to. Players then had better front back movement and great touch volleys. Sweet spot on wood rackets was miniscule. If you tried to crush every ball like you can now with very forgiving modern rackets you would mis-hit. But you were safer at the net because blazing fast passing shots were less likely. Give modern players wood rackets and several months to adapt and they would look pretty much like 70s players.
@@stuartdryer1352
I've played.
The difference between a heavy wooden racquet and the racquets of today is LIGHT YEARS.
It's an advantage in every possible way imaginable.
I know.
I've used every racquet over the past 45 years plus.
This sport, more than any other, has the greatest disparity between technology and the effects that it's had on the actual game.
Your take was laughably ignorant.
Golf is the other sport where the equipment has really been made light years better due to technology.
But tennis has golf beat in the huge difference.
In a match two that are the evolution of world tennis to date together with Federer!! Rod Laver a natural giant made of high precise fundamentals in a wrist game!! We know everything about Borg and he has it together brought interest in tennis into a sport with a huge following!! Three Giants Who Are The Game Of Tennis
Are you kidding me? Look at the quality of Laver lobs and Borg passing shots with wooden racquets..... Club Tennis?
two GOATs
that is beautiful to watch
The quality of tennis that they are playing is simply outstanding
I remember this series. They used to award a Ford Club Wagon Van for the player with the most aces so when we at the local courts whenever somebody served an Ace somebody would say: And there' s another one for the Club Wagon!
The shots they had to play were so different due to the rackets, it's like they are playing a different game.
Amazing footage of two great players
Yeah it been 30 years since I the last time I saw Laver hit,I forgot he hit so hard,that is what maid me a fan too...I remember his muscular arm for a tennis guy he looked very strong and muscular overall...thanks great video
Merci beaucoup pour cette vidéo !
El que asistió a ese partido tiene que sentirse afortunado. Vivió la época más linda de este mundo
This is incredible on clay laver move's so beautifully with his serve volleying his all court game is remarkable and Borg was dominating at that time on clay.
I never knew Borg ever played laver..great footage
Laver pretty much discovered Borg. He brought the kid back from Sweden and toured the U.S. with him playing exhibition matches. I saw them play in Corning, N.Y. about 1970 or so. They split sets and then Laver won the third. At the time, I thought that Laver gave away the second set, but now I'm not so sure. Nobody asked Borg for his autograph afterward, everybody mobbed Laver. I could have gone up and shook Borg's hand, but I thought I'd never hear about the kid again.
Borg also played (& beat in a practice match) Ivanisevic during his early 90s comeback, but other than that his comeback to try to escape bankruptcy fell flat. But still one of those thought provoking "did you know..?" Kind of like how old Pancho Gonzales played & beat players like Borg, Ashe, Newcombe; Agassi played both Connors and Nadal on the atp tour, and Muster & Theim played a match on the challenger tour in 2011
@@seattenber In 1970 he would have been 14. You are making this up. Borg's young years are totally documented. He came on the scene in 1973 at Wimbledon aged 17 in the ATP boycott year and basically single handedly saved that years' tournament. He didn't win, but for the first time in history tennis made the front pages of the newspapers rather than just a back column somewhere due to the sensation he created. Before this he was unknown.
@@jeremyd1021 It's totally true! He was very young, he might have been 14, but probably 16 is more likely.
Those were the days. Nice triangel in 2022. Laver,Borg,Federer.
Great to see Laver and Borg in action again. They were both superstars
Damn Borg was fast!
Footwork. Goal was to always get perpendicular with the trajectory, both feet firmly in place, for taking the shot - it was all footwork.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone cover the court better than Borg.
@@stumarston6812 The ball is being hit way slower than today, so his running isn't that fantastic.
Imagine watching this live.
AMAZING , the passing of the guard from one champ to the other
the were the best in their time and today with modern equipment would be outstanding.
I love to see this. 2 great great players.
It's a very interesting matchup, not very realistic in terms of comparing performance though. Laver is 18 years older, Borg must have been in his early 20's here, that puts Laver at almost 40. Rod was at his peak in the early-mid 1960's. Still fun to watch.
Borg 20(born 1956), and he peaked later as well. The best matches he did 80/81.
This is also an incredibly interesting matchup because this is an early example of a topspin vs. flat shots competition, but on the faster courts conducive to serve-and-volley and flat shot techniques. Very interesting. I would have very much liked to have seen Bjorn Borg in 1980 vs. Rod Laver in 1965. That would be a legendary matchup.
Just like watching Federer vs A. Zverev
this is laver at 38 years of age. this man is undisputedly the greatest of all time. he has no weaknesses. he has brute power and topspin plus net play and finesse. he reminds me of a pit bull terrier.
keithmckeith Pancho Gonzalez ?
Yes, agree.
Watch the whole match, not just the highlights, he's more of a sulky loser getting flogged.
Immense athleticism but elegance too. We rarely see this today, unfortunately.
Borg, not so overwhelming power but speed, spin and timing amazing!!!
Not sure on power.
Don't need the best power if you can chase down every ball, hit top spin passing shots and wait for opponent to mess up (especially back then, competitive at the very top but from what I've seen, competition and athleticism wasn't too amazing throughout the rankings compared to anywhere near today. Not saying Borg was a pusher, far from, but he understood how to train, compete and win/ dominate)
Edit: Also of course his serve was great, really helps with winning any match
That was power in the 1970s. Maybe the ball doesn't travel as quickly in the wood racket era, but Borg's power was in the insane topspin he generated. Laver was well-known for topspin from both sides as well. Clay was Borg's best surface at the time and the least comfortable for Laver. It took Borg several more years to become great on every surface the way Laver dominated in the 1960s.
Spot on analysis 🧐 couldn’t have said it better myself the same concepts apply even at the recreational level
You can hear the *vibration* in those older racquets. No wonder they used to get *tennis elbow* more back then.
@@josevigil4619 Hi Jose. I've used both and to me it feels like more of a shock with the older wooden racquets. I might be wrong.
Rod is way past his prime but this match against Bjorn in 1976, proves why many regard him as the greatest.
Pancho Gonzales was a perfect tennis commentator too.
And a great champion too.
@@T9RX3 Yeah world number one for 8 years... Gonzales is a legend
Bjorn Borg actually never lost to Laver and they met 3 times. Apart from clay also on carpet and hard court. At that time older player could compete because of the rackets involved more skill to master and produced slower shots. Today it is Bjorn Borgs way of plays that dominates, not serve and volley(modern rackets). Additionally Bjorn Borg did not have the same problem with Lavers serve as for Mcenroe . But I have great respect for Laver together with Borg is among the top 5-6 players ever.
Not true, lifetime Borg lead Laver 6-2 in matches.
@@nikita-dh5je In ATP events (Grand Prix at the time) it should have said. I was not familiar with those WCT matches 8 years ago when I made the comment. Possibly they met in exhibition matches as well.
@@SuperHammaren Who do you think would have won Laver in his prime vs Borg in his prime ? I think Laver on grass, Borg on clay and Indoors.
@@nikita-dh5je Very hard to say, I would say Borg still had the best opportunities on grass and clay, considering how well he played there, the low bounce on grass made his relatively weak volley a weapon. Combined with his fast legs. That was not the case in US open(higher bounce) and he never won there. Both used wooden rackets, (even Donnay at times) and the racket technology hardly changed during those years. You can of course be right, that indoors and clay could be better but I am not sure (I know Laver was extremely good on grass). Also if both are given the same opportunities, then it is even harder. But let me say it like this if both were playing at peak level at the same time: no grand slam with Borg around and no 5 straight Wimbledon wins with Laver. I rank both very high on the best ever list.
Iceberg Borg mentally, King of tennis physically and Mister Universe features.
laver was so veteran in 1976...he was born in 1938...it was one of his last years on Tour...
So nice to hear that "wrongfoot" is still a new term used in tennis in this clip. Pancho Gonzales still had to explain it.
this was great to see..thx!
With even the first shot in the video you know a great player is playing: not many even today would attempt a forehand volley from no man's land, and then for a winner placement!
I have never seen a leftie this smooth. Wow.
Laver was 38 years old in that match. He was in great shape, especially considering the lack of knowledge in sports medicine/nutrition in the 70's. And the young Borg was only 20 years old.
I like those old greenie courts. Sound like sandpaper.
...what they did in their eras.
Laver won 11 majors but had two calendar year (true) Grand Slams 7 years apart,,,we don't know how many more majors he would have won between 1963-67 if it were an open era. Borg "only" won 11, but retired at age 25 and only played the Australian one year.
Most would easily call these two in the Top 5 players of the last 50-60 years, along with most likely Federer and Nadal, and probably Sampras. Respect the legends!
Two of the greatest ever playing here, no doubt.
When Pancho says “There’s an ace off the forehand” right after Laver hits a crosscourt forehand past Borg, I do believe he meant “winner”, lol.
Maybe back in the day "ace" just meant untouched shot. Service ace being untouched off the service. Dunno
I remember these matches. The Tennis Renaissance of the 1970's led ABC Sports to sponsor these invitational tournaments and offer BIG money that was not seen before in the sport of tennis. The location was Coral Gables or Boca Raton and the surface was Har-Tru Green Clay....a surface that slowed things down for longer points and more ground strokes. They all played there.....Borg, Ashe, Connors, Laver, Newcombe, Evert, King.
This is beautiful to watch
One word: Legends.
Great video! Both are iconic legends!. I remember playing tennis with a the Wilson BLX Six.One 95 tennis racquet which has a 95sq.in headsize and thought that was rather small! Those wooden racquets had a 75sq.in headsize!. Amazing how those guys could even hit the ball!
I think you are generous. I believe the wooden racquets were 65 sq. inch heads.
@@gordonipock9385i got a Slazenger Challenge NO.1 Wood Racket that is 70 square inches small.
Many great players, BUT, Bjorn Borg is the Pele or Maradona of Tennis. He was the KING.
Couldn't agree more
Huge Borg fan, I think it significant that highest peak ELO ratings in Open tennis were Djoker, Fed and Borg. But NY was his Achilles heel: couldn't win it on clay or HC
Sorry... he won 6 French Opens on clay...
Yes Borg was one of the all time greats and equalled Laver's 11 majors, but he never won a Grand Slam whereas Laver won 2!! Laver in this match was 18yrs older than Borg and still played a competitive match that he could have won. Prince maybe but not a KING...
@@Gregoryt700 indeed, not being able to win on clay in NY was a head scratcher for me. He had a big serve too throughout his career unlike Nadal and I think the crowds + fate had something to do with it.