American children tuned in that Saturday morning, dismayed that Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo, Daffy Duck and the Jetsons were preempted. Boos cascaded Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
The greatest match in tennis history, to that point and for decades after, was about to begin.
Over the next 3 hours, 53 minutes, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe authored an epic, typified by a 22-minute tiebreaker, that led to a documentary 31 years later and a movie 37 years after. Borg endured 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (16), 8-6 for the 1980 Wimbledon title.
NBCSN reairs coverage of the match Monday at 9:30 p.