Federer, Nadal, Djokovic set new bar for next generations
Here is one way to look at what Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the now-retired Roger Federer accomplished: The group known as the Big Three of menโs tennis accumulated so many Grand Slam titles that it seems unlikely anyone will reach the standards they set.
![AP Was There: McEnroe wins tiebreaker, Borg wins Wimbledon](https://www.clickorlando.com/resizer/hDPVJxhkW_wGswBKhuMfKW5lmHM=/1600x1312/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PQY6VMCE5VDULFSH4GYPGBTN44.jpg)
AP Was There: McEnroe wins tiebreaker, Borg wins Wimbledon
One rivalry is known for one particularly memorable match involving one particularly memorable tiebreaker: John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg in the 1980 Wimbledon final. McEnroe won the tiebreaker 18-16; Borg won the title. Seven match points, and I failed to do it. He served like a master in the final set and became Wimbledon champion for the fifth straight time. McEnroe himself had six set points in the tiebreaker before he cracked Borg with a backhand return at 18-16.
![AP Was There: Nadal edges Federer 9-7 in 5th at Wimbledon](https://www.clickorlando.com/resizer/jLBFEgYt9xqJDybQoHsUvHD9PPQ=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TPISIGCSSFDKDKFENU6YYRAYVU.jpg)
AP Was There: Nadal edges Federer 9-7 in 5th at Wimbledon
One memorable head-to-head rivalry is Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, who have met in nine Grand Slam title matches, an Open era-record for men. He just played fantastically.Indeed he did, earning Spain its first Wimbledon mens title since Manolo Santana won in 1966. A forehand winner put Federer ahead 9-8, and when Nadal missed a backhand return, the match was even. Federer has led the rankings for a record 231 consecutive weeks, and Nadal has been second for a record 154. Nadal lost to Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final in four sets, and the 2007 final in five.
![AP Was There: Navratilova tops Evert for 1st Slam title](https://www.clickorlando.com/resizer/LSmLLt_0fbCvagK9z8W2BnxbiI0=/1600x1076/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/K4QYQBV5UJGB3GG2BH36T5S2RQ.jpg)
AP Was There: Navratilova tops Evert for 1st Slam title
The AP is republishing stories about a handful of such matches while the canceled grass-court Grand Slam tournament was supposed to be played. The following story, about their first meeting in a Wimbledon final, was sent July 7, 1978. But when Evert twice a Wimbledon champion went from 0-2 to 4-2 in the final set, it seemed that her coolness and experience would prevail. That left Navratilova needing only to hold service for the title, and she did it without dropping a point. Evert set a pattern for the tentative match by dropping the opening game in each of the three sets.