“I was actually pissed because from my perspective it was selfish” – When John McEnroe warned Bjorn Borg against his ‘crazy’ decision to retire at 26

John McEnroe once opened up about his frustration over Bjorn Borg’s decision to retire at a young age. McEnroe was disappointed about losing his fiercest competitor and their ‘Fire and Ice’ rivarly, named so for their conflicting on-court attitudes and playing styles.

Borg won his 11th and final Grand Slam title at the 1981 French Open, beating Ivan Lendl in the final. He also reached the finals of the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open later that year, losing to McEnroe on both occasions.

However, the Swede soon became disenchanted with life on tour, only competing in two tournaments in 1982. He then sent shockwaves through the tennis community by announcing his retirement from professional tennis at just 26 years of age in 1983.

John McEnroe, who was still thriving in his career at the time, revealed that it was the only occasion that he felt truly angry at the 11-time Grand Slam champion. In a 2006 interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen, the American labeled Borg’s decision “selfish,” disclosing that he had warned Borg that his decision to retire so young was “crazy.”

“I was actually pissed because from my perspective it was a selfish decision. I told him he was crazy, that tennis was good for both of us,” John McEnroe said.
McEnroe also admitted that he missed the excitement of life as a professional tennis player, nostalgically reflecting on his “magic era” of competing alongside Bjorn Borg.

“I miss the excitement, everything around me. It was a magic era,” he said.
“It just felt like there was a void… We were the perfect yin and yang” – John McEnroe once bemoaned Bjorn Borg’s retirement

John McEnroe echoed a similar sentiment about the end of his rivalry with Bjorn Borg in a 2001 interview with The New York Times. The American confessed to feeling the “void” left by Borg’s retirement for years afterwards.

“For years, I would see him and say: ‘When are you coming back? This is ridiculous, let’s go.’ It just felt like there was a void and it took me a couple of years to accept that. I think it was too bad for the sport as well,” McEnroe said.

McEnroe also fondly reminisced about the perfect “yin and yang” of their rivalry, reflected in their contrasting appearances and games.

“We were the perfect yin and yang. You had someone who was naturally aggressive against someone who was a counterpuncher. Everything about us was totally different, the way we looked and the way we played,” he added.

Over the course of their legendary rivalry, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg faced each other 14 times, with their head-to-head record standing at 7-7. However, McEnroe held a 3-1 winning record in their meetings at the Majors.