Ivan Lendl - father of the modern Tennis.

Although I realize it's unpopular, Ivan Lendl was and always will be my favorite tennis player.

When Lendl played like this he was extraordinary. The topspin lob was wicked, and his passing shots were brilliant.

Lendl was the favorite to win the US Open that year. This match showed he was the heavy heavy favorite to win it. He was painting the lines in this match.

This day was the second anniversary of Lendl being No. 1, I guess it didn't matter to him who the opponent was. In this match, Lendl played the lob with such deadly accuracy that one reporter referred to it as an "overhead passing shot". Needless to say that Mac didn't stand a chance.

I was always a McEnroe fan - notwithstanding the temper tantrums. He became a thoughtful, insightful, and highly agreeable commentator afterwards. Lendl, to my mind, is probably the greatest male player of the 80s.

Pretty remarkable that between 1985-1987, Lendl defeated McEnroe twice, Connors twice, Edberg, and Wilander, and lost a total of one set in those 5 matches.

Those were the matches we as kids used to watch late night on our 2x3inch sized black and white TV set

Lendl said Mac was the only person who could put a volley away off of his shoelaces.

The duel around 21:50 is one of my all time favorites, it is AMAZING! Mcenroe wins it but somehow it is the end of the match, as it becomes clear that Mcenroe needs to be so very very good to win points against Lendl that he cant be that consistent in the long run. Mcenroe 84 perhaps but not in 87. Most entertaining match though.

Lendl had McEnroe's number by this stage. The 1985US Open final was the turning point. Lendl never looked back and sped away.

Coldest respectful handshake ever

All Ivan lacked was Wimbledon. That fkng Pat Cash.

Lendl was Mac's greatest rival, more than Borg. Lendl puts another nail in Mac's slam aspirations.

When Lendl got in shape, he really exposed the old school tennis greats like McEnroe and Connors. Had he gotten that way 2 years prior, I'm convinced Lendl would have won Wimbledon, and Connors and McEnroe wouldn't be known for the success they are now known for. Lendl would have owned 1982-4. Most of the other players on tour modeled their game after Lendl -- peak strength and conditioning and the game of tennis has been like that ever since.

The last 2serves of the 5th game of the 3rd set looks like the sweetest spot where confidence reigns supreme in Lendl's head. 2 first services like bombs.

1985 was the last year Mac was a genuine heavyweight contender in tennis. Incredible to think he was basically over the hill by age 26.

Lendl at the very peak of his career! Indeed, one of the fathers of modern tennis. But, John McEnroe, even after his extended sabbatical, clearly the most interesting and gifted player of this great era.. Here he just showed samples of his comeback which culminated in 1989.. A very close match later in 1987, then his victory over Ivan in 1988 in Michelin event. Worth to remember

I appreciate the original commercials in this.

Lendl played a great match. I thought the commentators were a little confused when they stated that Lendl was an underdog. You may not be liked by the crowd, but that doesn't mean you're the lesser player.

Lendl was a major nemesis for McEnroe. Ground stroke machine vs. great serve and volley.

This was Lendl at his peak, reaching a never before seen level of tennis when he destroyed Wilander in 3 sets in the final of the masters in NY later that year. Wilander would rise is game to win 3 gran slams the year after.

85-87 Lendl was near unstoppable. Everything in his game clicked.

Every single game between Lendl and McEnroe was the transition between the modern tennis and the old school tennis, Lendl show us how the new tennis was going to be played.

Ivan était incontestablement un joueur de dur et de courts couverts: sans les aléas du rebond et/ou du vent, ses frappes étaient redoutables de précision, de puissance et de régularité ! Il a fait un excellent travail avec Andy Murray ou Pete Sampras, aussi, ce qui démontre ses qualités de pédagogue. Un maître du tennis, assurément. Je n'étais jamais " pour" ou " contre" lui: je le regardais jouer et je le trouvais " favori objectif". C'est quelque-chose que j'aime bien dans le tennis: peu de hasard, un arbitrage objectif... Qui est in ? Qui est out ?. Il n'y a pas cette comedia del arte, cette mauvaise foi qu'on retrouve dans trop d'autres sports au nom de l'esprit d'équipe.

Lendl May hv won but Max wins every time on style . Mac had such a beautiful game. Lendl was industrial.

Certainement la meilleure année de Lendl qui aura mis du temps pour atteindre sa plénitude depuis la finale RG perdue en 81.

Great crowd as usual in the US. Ivan so easy made them quiet. After this match Ivan beat John 8-1 before they retired. Just against Connors Lendl improved his game and Connors didn´t beat Lendl a single time after 1984. 17-0 to Lendl after 1984.

Man, I sure do miss those court level camera angles during US Open matches. Now, they look like they are being shown from a drone

McEnroe said after he lost to Chang at the 1991 US Open that Chang must have watched this match. Chang also lobbed McEnroe to death in that match.

Mac was the last in the long line of old-style 'continental grip on all shots' player. That era was properly put to bed by Lendl. Just blown off the court. Tennis never looked back.

Lendl and Borg had great endurance.

Fantastic voley - 1:04:20

I want to go back in time where this was my focus of life. And I would save some money and invest in the amazon book company.

Racket technology started changing in 85 which was the same time when Macs dominance ended and Lendl began.

As mentioned during the commentary. IL said Mac's speed on the ball is slower and the same for his movement. Just look at Macs serve, 1st and 2nd. No where near what they used to be.

A glaring difference between the vintage McEnroe and this version was his serve precision. High stakes matches against the likes of Lendl can't be won trying to play off a weak 2nd serve. It could no longer be relied upon to bail him out when backed up against the wall. A lot of this can be traced back to the extended break he took in '86 while still in his prime, during which he fell way out of shape and could never regain his form.

McEnroe was never the same after he took the time off. He had a brilliant career but I always wondered what could’ve been. What if he had fully mentally and physically dedicated to the game. He just had such natural talent

Lendl must've relished this match: beating the hometown favorite with such authority!

In a way, John Mac Enro is fascinating because it looks that every one can play as him, because his technique is so "simple" with so few preparetion.

At the 1985 U.S. Open had either (1) McEnroe gotten himself into excellent physical fitness condition right at the start of his pro tennis career in 1977/1978 or (2) if the USTA had scheduled the McEnroe vs. Wilander semifinal at nightime instead of during that brutally hot 117 degree heat during the day, McEnroe probably would have defeated Lendl in the 1985 U.S. Open final!

Lendl so dominant in 1987, it's hard to think that it was also a bit of an end point for him. He would never win the US or French Opens again and would never reach another wimbledon final. He would also never win the tour finals again after 1987, an event he'd then won what was a record 5 times (untill both Federer and Djokovic surpassed it).

Le meilleur attaquant contre le meilleur fond de court de l époque (en terme de palmarès)les années 80

Landl calm and composed. Controlled aggression. McEnroe aggressive.

Ivan the greatest of all time and he is the father of modern tennis

Lendl created the new C path forehand that everyone uses today, more extreme today but I think Lendl invented it.

Mac enroe fera quand même une demi finale de l us open en 90 et en sa fin de carrière de demi finale à Wimbledon,89 et 92

I watched this match live all those years ago. Lendl was scary in this match, but what in the world was up with John McEnroe hitting 3 double faults at 3 all in the first set? Sad to see.

Damn Mary C has been commentating for more than 30 years. hahahaha....I think Lendl was the only one that regularly used sawdust on his grip in every point and I thought Nadal had weird tendencies.

Go watch them play in 84. They hit it much harder here.

1:51:03 "Come on you brat!" lol

Which Dunlop racket is he using here?

Let us not forget 1984 when Mac crushed Lendl in the final 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. More of a beatdown on Lendl than this match score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. LOL😛 when @ 1:57.25 in the video...Mary Carillo interrupts to straight-up dog McEnroe and says John was so overmatched that night in every single department, and at that exact moment, Mac rips a nice serve to Lendl's backhand and then punches off a perfect backhand volley for the winner. Lendl was the #1 seed and ended up being the Champion. Mac was not at his best, this is true. 1987 might have been the best Lendl ever at the US Open. He won his first-round match 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, and then Lendl went on to lose only 1 set the entire tournament. Not many US Open champions can ever claim that. And that was in a tie-breaker in the final. In fact, no man has ever not lost any sets on the way to the US Open title so Lendl at least ties for best ever run threw the draw this year 1987. Basically, everyone was overmatched by Lendl this year. the only player to give Lendl a good match this year was Wilander in the final, with 2 tie-breaker sets. However, Wilander still suffered a 6-0 bagel in one of the sets in the final. Any pro getting a bagel in the finals of the US Open 6-0 for a set is quite rare and really shows that Lendl was on another level to all. Good for Carillo to make such a key point against McEnroe. Right as he dominates a point against the tournament winner. Hat's off to Lendl for dominating all.

If Lendl was a player in these years, he would be #1 seeded. Great forehand, great backhand, great service e solid from baseline. Good also on volley.

Après 1985 Mac enroe n est plus un joueur de tout premier plan ,Lendl aura toujours le dessus dans les tournois majeurs (ce match ,Un 8 iem de finale de Roland Garros 88,Masters 89 et l open d Australie 89 ou 90)

Mary Carillo: I respect McEnroe as a player and competitor, being good to the game. JokeH: Where where, where you can see it Mary. Just kidding it was Looney Tunes. Family guy Stewie: Now I'm sad. Season 8. Part 4.

Back noise IS missing

Lendle introduced the new power of tennis, Sampras perfected it and Federer and Nadal, Novack took it to another dimension, even though I prefer the Sampras era where serv and volley and much better caliber players were around, nowadays is all for the damn entertainment of the crowd, they want to see 30 point rallies and 5 sets, what a load of schit.

Lendl smelled blood when he beat Mac at the French.

Poor mc enroe 😢😢😢😢

Lendl was like the real life Ivan Drago

The sting had gone from Mac's serve.

Typical of the attitude of New Yorkers is that at the U.S. Open not only do the fans ignore the chair umpire's pleas to stand still behind the court as a player is preparing to start the next game, but even the ushers who are paid to follow the instructions of the chair umpire to "hold the gates" to keep the fans from entering the seating area as a player is preparing to serve ignore the chair umpire's instructions!

Lendl had class. McEnroe was just the cliché of the US-American bully.

Mcenroe looks scared here, not the usual angry look.

Mac Peaked in 84 the game had moved on after that no disgrace in that .

This obviously was so one sided tV 📺 commentator ! NY crowd is brutal !

11:00

If you watch younger videos of John, he looks like he enjoys playing tennis much more than this.

When is the USTA gonna outlaw the topspin lob? And copoly strings?? Nowadays anyone can hit a topspin lob. At the beginning of this match McEnroe was 14-12 vs Lendl. Lendl won 8 of the next 9 matches, finishing with a 21-15 H2H record. Curses!!!

John Newcombe is the greatest

These commercials...

OK was McEnroe coked out of his mind, or was it just me?

Realistically Lendl defeated McEnroe in the French final '84; but celebrated it in Us Open '85 by beating the best player so far ( ATP for the record 17-15 ). Losing the Masters '85 Lendl does not win in the beginning. On the turn won the Masters '82-3 again '86-7. Lendl not necessarily the best of the '80s: but the most consistent of the decade. "You can see why McEnroe won with Woodforde '89 when he stings in, but Lendl on the dominant." Most Us titles had Philadelphia 'willow tree' Tilden 16 in between 1913-1929. McEdition "Everytime everyone of them." Cross the rule books and have won all of them Federer, Nadal, Djokovic 0321. Yeah, New York they won Rosewall, in Paris, Wimbledon. Compared to the serve Lendl's on the right. Service is like a delicate machine, how to use it. The different is not in the motion, the difference is how to play with it. The service game is still accurate whether to serve with shorter backswing. It is not comparable. The whole set up is more important for a serve that can make the different game. Would Tennis dispense with the second serve? Not necessarily, because on the whole it's only a rule. It has justified secondary meaning. Firstable, when it's played counting with one point at a time, in the tie-break. 9 /18: jokeh😶 13.08.21.

I think Lendl used to intentionally aim the ball at his opponent.

Lendl didn't like borg and Sampras. Edberg was also lendls nemesis and a lesser degree Boris becker. Everyone else lendl cooked them.

A partir de 86 Mac cesse d être un joueur de tout tout premier plan ,alors que Lendl débute un règne vers la première place mondiale de près de 3 ans

Johnny in a funk and not looking good. Definitely something's wrong. He's out of it, not even in the game mentally. You can see it in his face , he looks like he's been up all night partying. There's no pep in his step, flatfooted. You can see it in his serve, it looks mechanical and slow. Lendl is beating him down and just taking him apart. You can hear the people in the crowd sense something's wrong trying to encourage him. At this point he should've took some time off , refocused himself and hired a fitness trainer.

De 80 à 88 Lendl est au moins en finale du Masters et de 82 à 89 au moins en finale de l us open...un record que Nadal ne possède pas ...

Lendl did not revolutionize tennis, if anyone did it was Connors. There was also power tennis long before, back to the 50’s.

No me agais caso, pero McEnroe no fue el mismo desde que se caso , ya no explotaba , antes McEnroe cuanto mas protestaba mejor jugaba, pero llego Tatum, y le quiso convertir en un chico bueno, ya nunca fue el mismo, dejo de ser MacEnroe para ser solo un jugador mas, aunque el avance de la tecnologia, tambien tuvieron su parte de culpa

At this stage of their careers, Lendl's not cheering as hard when beating McEnroe. I understand it. I mean, I don"t need to cheer when I've swatted a pesky fly with a fly-swatter neither. Same nonchalance.

La rivalidad entre Lendl y McEnroe trascendia lo deportivo. Se tenian verdadero odio y eso en la pista de tenis se dejaba sentir

The public , absolutely disgusting. I would put a screen on all four sides between them and the players and let them see the game on a screen.

One of the Top 5 greatest tennis players of all time beating the G.O.A.T. in straight sets.

McEnroe totally wasted here. He let down his own talent.

Sloppy playing by JMac here...

Weak handshake from McEnroe at the end of the match. Never takes losing too well, especially against arch-rival Ivan Lendl. Lendl got to No.1 and was just the consumate professional about his business. That's why he was on top for so long.

McEnroe never had a good game against good players , just a show !

This shit is unwatchable, mainly because Mcenroe wasted so much time between points and his serves. He was never well conditioned, and he looked lethargic at times.

Too much weed recreational drugs bad nutrition and no sound basics on his strokes ended his career early...

Lendl owns 1986- 1990 total machine &Mac by 87,cleary lost his 1st step ,out powered on the serve, & layed allot of unforced errors . (This match)Volley into net type shit. Shame. I dispize Ivan winning

mcenroe must have the least athletic ability of any open champion. his physique was that of a school girl and he acted like one....

Lendl was so boring

Mary Carillo says absolutely nothing intetesting, a diversity color commentator that won almost nothing in womens Tennis. Almost as bad is having Howard Cosell at courtside, and Bud Collins is a plain vanilla commenter who has goofy sayings in the day. Robert at 69.

Sorry McEnroe, you were a very good player but Ivan Lendl was the greatest tennis player in the world. Lendl rules

This was lendl at his peak. The mac of 84 would have taken him.