1 Response to kb87lendl_connors

1. Voo de Mar says:

   September 12, 2024 at 6:51 pm

   Points won by each set: | 26-30, 55-53, 52-47, 38-28 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   22 % Lendl – 36 of 163
   11 % Connors – 19 of 166

   The longest match in their rivalry stretched over three decades (Lendl won it 22-13) and one of the longest 4-set matches in history (4 hours 38 minutes). From the mid 80s to the early 90s, Lendl defeated Connors every time they entered the court together (a 17-match winning streak), but twice their matches were super tight: first at Masters ’84 (Lendl 7-5, 6-7, 7-5), second at Key Biscayne ’87 – semifinals in both cases.
   They began the Florida two-day match exchanging breaks, then Connors [8] was dominating monotonous rallies and holding eight times in a row, he led 6-3, 5:3* (30-all) – Lendl [1] served an ace and it turned the tables. Actually both middle sets were very similar: in both Connors led by a break (4:1, a break point in the 3rd), afterwards Lendl needed plenty of set points to finish the job. In the first tie-break the Czechoslovak led 6:3* and 7:6 before converting his eight set point (9/7) – the first three set points had at 6:5; in the second tie-break (11/9) he already led 5:0 when missed a super easy volley, then wasted a 6:1 and 7:6 advantage. Connors had two set points (*8:7, 9:8) – first he netted a casual ball, on Connors’ second set point Lendl struck another ace and clinched the set on his seventh set point as Connors failed with his rare serve-and-volley action. Even though fewer points were played in the 3rd set, it was significantly longer – not only a matter of prolonged rallies, also outbursts of both players which ended in warnings, gusty wind slowing down the pace, finally the rain made an impact on the duration – it interrupted Lendl’s concentration as he was trying to serve the set out at 6:5. He wanted to suspend the set, but in vain. The chair umpire decided to finish the game, and after announcing the tie-break, he halted the semifinal. After the resumption the following day, and a “good afternoon” 11/9 tie-break, at 1-all in the 4th set another rain-break occurred – this time shorter. Lendl raced to a 4:1* lead, Connors cut to 3:4, but ultimately he hadn’t enough energy to play his standard tennis in the last two games. Connors was 35 at the time, he was the only player at this age being competitive in the second half of the 80s, the 27-year-old Lendl reached the highest level of his physical preparation at the time which he confirmed a few months later, prevailing a similar 4-set marathon (US Open final) against another patient baseliner – Wilander… # In the fourth round of the Australian Open ’08, I had an opportunity to watch a match with exactly the same, peculiar score.

   Serve & volley: Lendl 0, Connors 3/5

   # Comparison of matches with identical scorelines:
   Key Biscayne 1987 (semifinal): Lendl d. Connors 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(9), 6-3… 4 hours 38 minutes… Total points: 171-158.. 0, 2 SPs saved in the middle sets
   Aussie Open 2008 (4R): Nieminen d. Kohlschreiber 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(9), 6-3… 3 hours 31 minutes… Total points: 162-162.. 7, 4 SPs saved in the middle sets

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