Points won by each set: [ 30-26, 37-43, 10-26, 36-31, 44-41 ]
Points won directly on serve:
37 % McEnroe – 60 of 161
13 % Connors – 22 of 163

It’s arguably the best comeback in McEnroe’s [3] career. The 21-year-old left-hander blew a set point (Connors’ [2] wide-out service winner) in the 2nd set and almost lost 12 games in a row! He seemed downhearted, but from *1:3 (15/30) in the 4th – with the help of the crowd – he managed to win six games in a row! The crucial break in the 4th set he obtained after the longest game of the semifinal (seven deuces). In the final set he led 5:3*, then served to stay in the match at 5:6 (held at ‘love’) to take the ensuing tie-break rather easily 7/3. In the years 1979-1985 he played six US Open semifinals, four of them won in five-setters, that was the first one (in 1983 he lost to John Sadri already in the fourth round).

# Comparison of McEnroe’s four US Open 5-set semifinals:
1980: McEnroe d. Connors 6-4, 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6… 4 hours 16 minutes… Total points: 157-167… Breaks: 6-8
1981: McEnroe d. Geru’tis 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3… 3 hours 47 minutes… Total points: 152-137… Breaks: 5-2
1984: McEnroe d. Connors 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3… 3 hours 46 minutes… Total points: 166-152… Breaks: 8-7
1985: McEnroe d. Wilander 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3… 3 hours 50 minutes… Total points: 148-137… Breaks: 7-6