Borg vs McEnroe

Ice vs Fire. Bjorn Borg (serene, robotic, five consecutive Wimbledon titles) vs John McEnroe ("You cannot be serious!", tantrums, genius shotmaking) defined tennis in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The 1980 Wimbledon final — specifically the 34-point fourth-set tiebreak that McEnroe won 18-16 before Borg won the match — is the single most dramatic set of tennis ever played. Their rivalry lasted only four years before Borg's shocking retirement at 26, which makes it more tragic than triumphant. The brevity is what gives it mythic status: they burned so bright that it couldn't last.