Wondering what the Tournament of Champions is, and how we got here? Read more about our 50th Anniversary Celebration and get caught up on all the matches so far.
“Two of the fittest guys ever to play the game,” Darren Cahill says, “and both prided themselves on breaking down opponents mentally and physically.”
Emmo and the Angelic Assassin had a chance to break each other down just once, in the first round at the 1972 U.S. Open, but it was an early sign of the changing times in men’s tennis. Borg was a 16-year-old prodigy from Sweden whose two-handed backhand was even more exotic than his long blonde hair. Emerson was a 35-year-old, two-time U.S. Open champion who had been rushing the net at Forest Hills since before, literally, his opponent was born. Youth conquered experience, as the fleet-footed Borg won in four sets.
But while the two men looked very different that day, their careers were not dissimilar: Emerson, who finished with 12 major titles, and Borg, who finished with 11, were the hardiest, wiriest athletes of their respective eras, and two of the most versatile—each won multiple titles on grass at Wimbledon and clay at the French Open.
Facing each other at their peaks, it’s easy to imagine Borg winning the first set on clay, Emmo returning the favor on hard courts, and the match being decided in a topsy-turvy third set on grass, where each man excelled. Steve Flink believes it would have ended with a trademark Borg comeback. “Gradually,” Flink says, “Borg finds his range, starts passing brilliantly, and begins sending dipping returns at Emerson’s feet.” Afterward, Cahill says, “Emmo is not happy and returns to the practice court that day for another two-hour session.”
