Tennis legend Patrick McEnroe, brother of John McEnroe, has claimed that if Bjorn Borg had access to modern racquets, he could have won as many French Open titles as Rafael Nadal. Nadal is often referred to as the ‘King of Clay’ due to his unparalleled achievements on clay courts, which include a record-breaking 14 French Open titles. Bjorn Borg, a clay court specialist in his time, won six French Open titles, making him the second most successful player in the Open Era after the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Patrick McEnroe’s Views on Borg and Nadal
Patrick McEnroe believes that if Borg had been able to use the same Babolat racquet as the Mallorcan, he would have matched Nadal in French Open titles. He stated, “People don’t realize that Borg’s serve was big and Borg was lightning fast. I mean, not fast, lightning fast.” McEnroe also revealed that he and Brad Gilbert often discuss the hypothetical scenario of Borg playing Nadal at Roland-Garros.
A Five-Set Thriller
According to McEnroe, Gilbert thinks that Nadal would completely dominate Borg, but McEnroe disagrees. He believes that if both players were to use either a wood racquet or both grow up with the Babolat, Nadal would likely win, but the match would go to five sets.
Rafael Nadal’s Injury Recovery
In other news, Rafael Nadal is currently recovering from an injury he sustained in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open against Mackenzie McDonald. Nadal picked up an abdominal strain in Melbourne, similar to the one he suffered at Wimbledon in 2022 and later aggravated at the US Open that year. As a result, he had to withdraw from the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Open, as well as the BNP Paribas Open, the Miami Open, the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open, and the ongoing Madrid Masters.
