The Wimbledon Collection - The Classic Match - Borg vs. McEnroe 1980 Final

Borg was my idol when I was beginning to play tennis, so I have enjoyed watching this match. The editing was good, but it seemed that the frame rate was a little off. Borg and Mac seemed a little "robotic" like the editor decided to speed up time by about 15%. Still enjoyable.

Considered by many the greatest final ever played at Wimbledon, this goes nuclear in the fourth set, culminating in a twenty minute tiebreaker featuring some of the most dramatic tennis imaginable.
Borg was ending his peak years and Mac beginning his at this point; this match finds both at their best. McEnroe's serve and volley game was made for grass, but Borg's baseline supremacy is paired here with an unusual amount of volleying for the taciturn Swede, a must to counter Mac's amazingly consistent serve.
Mac is rarely bratty here, and as usual CyBorg never blinks, win or lose. This is four hours of A-1 tennis over two dvds for a very decent price; the value is hard to beat, as the whole match is a master class in how to play tennis, and you'll want to watch the tiebreaker over and over, if just to psyche you up for your next match. Dvd tech is perfect or freezing a frame and watching a point in slow motion, to see how footwork and timing lead to great shots. Forget instructional videos; this one has it all.
The BBC commentary is also rather humourous in spots, and thankfully far more understated than American network cheerleading. Not a sponsor or ad in sight, either, which makes this a wonderful rarity.
Highly recommended.

The DVD was of excellent quality and clarity. It was a pleasure to watch.

Once you start this DVD, it'll be difficult to stop watching until match point. I can't add anything that wasn't mentioned by other customer reviewers, except this -- If you're like most tennis fans, you've probably forgotten who won, which makes the recording all the more exciting. This brings me to my only gripe -- the packaging gives away the outcome. So, when it arrives, don't read, just open the drawer on your DVD player and watch.

The photography is fine, McEnroe behaves throughout, and neither player seems to say a word during the entire five sets. The spectators, like the players, act like human beings, with no uncontrolled temper fits, and no juvenile behavior among the fans. It is pleasant to watch a tennis match rather than a performance. The significant thing here is that both players display awesome playing throughout this match. Thoroughly enjoyable. And no commercials--just five sets of great tennis with sensible commentary.