Nostalgia was in full bloom at Monday night’s BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden as John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi took the court in front of 19,000-plus fans at the “world’s most famous arena” for a celebration of tennis, dubbed “Tennis Night in America.”
McEnroe vs. Lendl and Agassi vs. Sampras are arguably the greatest men’s rivalries in the history of tennis in New York. McEnroe and Lendl tangled in two US Open finals (1984 and 1985), while Sampras and Agassi contested three finals in Flushing Meadows (1990, 1995, 2002).
Madison Square Garden is the site of his five victories for Lendl at the year-end “Masters” championships in the 1980s and Monday’s match with McEnroe marked a noted anniversary in the Hall of Famer’s career. It was on Feb. 28, 1983 – as documented in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95. New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) that Lendl first ascended to the top ranking. Lendl took the top spot on the ATP computer for the first time, replacing rival Jimmy Connors. Lendl ranked No. 1 in the world for a total 270 weeks, a record that would be broken by Sampras, who ranked No. 1 for 286 weeks.
I returned Monday to New York after spending much of January and February in Vero Beach, Fla., where Lendl now calls home. Lendl prepared impeccably for this renewal of his heated rivalry with McEnroe, hitting on an indoor court in Boca Raton, Fla., and frequently training with former TCU standout Kriegler Brink, the pro at my Vero Beach club The Moorings, who owns one of the trickiest lefty serves I have ever played against and seen.
The match was a big deal to McEnroe as well – playing in his hometown in front of family, friends and students at his John McEnroe Tennis Academy at Randall’s Island. McEnroe himself won three Masters titles in the arena that is also the home of his beloved New York Knicks and New York Rangers.
Two hours before game time, McEnroe sprained his ankle in warm-up – jeopardizing his status of the match. (Reports had former ATP doubles standout Justin Gimelstob warming up as a possible replacement). McEnroe was able to take the court and, with Lendl having trouble finding his range, took at 4-0 lead in the abbreviated eight-game pro-set. As Lendl started connecting on his groundstrokes, McEnroe’s ankle became gimpier, forcing him to retire from the match while leading 6-3.
In the night-cap, Sampras beat Agassi 6-3, 7-5.