There have been many legendary encounters during the illustrious history of Wimbledon, none more so than the men¹s semi-final match between Bjorn Borg and Vitas Gerulaitis in 1977.Seeded number 8, Vitas Gerulaitis was up against his long time friend and practice partner, Bjorn Borg, seeded number 2 and also the defending champion.
In 1976, at the age of 20, Borg won his first of five Championships, without losing a single set. In 1977, he had been taken the full distance as early as the 2nd round by Mark Edmondson.
Reaching the semi-final, Borg took the advantage by breaking service in the opening games, forcing himself ahead of Gerulaitis, who then responded by drawing level. Tied at 2 sets all, Gerulaitis broke service in the fifth game, to lead no longer than one game as Borg displayed his champion¹s caliber when he broke service and then went on to win the fifth game set 8-6.
Borg¹s defeat of Gerulaitis was considered to be the outstanding match of the Championship. It was an enthralling contest of the highest quality, played at a lighterning pace and it held the rapt attention of the Centre Court for three hours and remained in the memory of many, long after its conclusion.
