YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Simon Reed

    Who’s the GOAT? 3-Borg v 4-Agassi

    In the third of our Greatest of All Time quarter-finals, third seed Bjorn Borg takes on sixth seed Andre Agassi in a clash that would be a real thriller.

    Under our GOAT rules each match is three sets, one on each surface. Here's the rundown on the two contenders.

    Bjorn Borg

    Nationality: Swedish

    Seeded: 3

    Grand Slam titles: 11

    Australian Open: Third round (1974)

    French Open: Winner (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)

    Wimbledon: Winner (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)

    US Open: Finalist (1976, 1978, 1980, 1981)

    Andre Agassi

    Nationality: American

    Seeded: 6

    Grand Slam titles: 8

    Australian Open - Winner (1995, 2000, 2001, 2003)

    French Open - Winner (1999)

    Wimbledon - Winner (1992)

    US Open - Winner (1994, 1999)

    Simon Reed's verdict

    The disparity between the two players' eras makes this another very tricky clash to assess, but you have to go on their respective records. When you compare Bjorn Borg's and Andre Agassi's statistics in the Grand Slams, it is pretty cut and dry.

    Agassi would have won on the hard courts, but Borg's record on grass and clay cannot be disputed and puts the American in the shade. The Swede was the most sensational athlete - possibly the best the sport has ever seen - while Agassi was fearsome at his best.

    In order to compare the two, you have to either bring Borg forward an era, or Agassi back one, but in either case I fancy the Swede would have prevailed. Borg was simply imperious at Roland Garros, and Agassi would not have been able to compete with him on clay - it would have been a convincing win.

    Equally, the grass-court encounter would have gone his way too, thanks to his athleticism and speed around the court, although it would have been slightly closer than on clay.

    Agassi would have thrived if the pair had met on a hard court, and the American loved the atmosphere generated at the Australian and US Opens.

    Borg was certainly no slouch on hard courts, but there was something about the US and Australian Opens that did not agree with him, and Agassi would have outpowered him from the back of the court.

    There is no doubt in my mind that Borg would have won this match, but it would have been a thrilling match up, with lots of running and long rallies.

    Agassi would have set the pace and used his court craft, but Borg would have had too much class in a fiercely-contested, enthralling encounter.

    Final verdict

    Borg wins 6-2 (clay) 3-6 (hard) 6-4 (grass)

    About Simon Reed

    Simon Reed"s career began with BBC Radio in the late sixties when he worked for BBC Radio Sport, BBC World Service and BBC Radio London. From 1973, he was a presenter and reporter for Thames TV before freelancing in the early days of Sky Sports. In 1995, he became Head of Commentators for Eurosport specialising in tennis. He has covered three Olympic Games and has commentated on the last eight Wimbledon Championships.

    Latest tennis blog post

    POLL

    Can anyone stop Rafa Nadal from winning the French Open?

    Loading...
    Poll Choice Options

    FANTASY FOOTBALL

    • Free To Join
      Free To Join

      Think you can do better than Fergie or Mancini? Sign up now and pick your winning team. More »