As a professional, McEnroe was the only ATP player to have won 70 or more career titles in both singles and doubles, finishing on a record 155.

The most impressive of which unsurprisingly came at the Grand Slam level, as the American won seven singles Major titles, three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open.

Some would perhaps say that McEnroe was more well-known for his on-court behavior, as he often found himself in trouble with umpires and the tennis authorities.

Having retired from tennis in 1994, McEnroe tried his hand at music and coaching before focusing on commentary.

Never afraid to make headlines, the 66-year-old revealed the identity of the only rival he still got ‘along’ with back in 2016.

John McEnroe said Bjorn Borg was the only rival he ‘got along with’ nine years ago

During a press conference ahead of the inaugural Laver Cup in 2016, McEnroe was excited to be a part of the event, as he praised his former rival.

“Well, this is amazing, I’m a New Yorker, so just to be here in the city getting ready for the Open is awesome,” he said.

“But these guys, I have been watching, admiring Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer].

“Bjorn [Borg] and I are great friends.

“He’s the only guy I still get along with that I played against, which is a good thing.”

McEnroe and Borg were set to face off as Laver Cup captains, with the former taking charge of Team World and the latter leading Team Europe.

The American then mentioned another tennis legend he looked up to before previewing the 2017 tournament.

“There’s one, but ultimately Rod Laver was my idol growing up, and I tried to emulate him and play like him,” said McEnroe.

“So I’m very happy to be part of this and proud that I’m going to captain and hopefully pull off a great upset against Europe next year.”

John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg’s legendary ATP rivalry

When discussing the greatest tennis rivalries of all time, you really can’t look much further than Borg and McEnroe.

Their rivalry was so thrilling it was immortalized in film, as Borg vs McEnroe entertained theatre-goers in 2017.

The pair faced off 14 times in total, with the head-to-head remarkably finishing level at seven a piece.

The Swede and American packed in a career’s worth of battles into just three years before Borg retired in 1981, after defeats to McEnroe at Wimbledon and the US Open.

McEnroe’s victory at SW19 44 years ago ended Borg’s five year reign on Centre Court, as the Swede chose not to return in 1982.

What happened at the first-ever Laver Cup in 2017?

Re-igniting their rivalry at the Laver Cup 36 years later, Borg and McEnroe searched for glory in Prague.

Team Europe were the heavy favorites, with four of the world’s top five players selected for Borg’s side, whereas Team World’s highest-ranked player was world number 16 Sam Querrey.

The first two days went as expected, with Team Europe winning six of the eight ties, taking a 9-3 lead heading into the final day.

America’s John Isner then proved to be Team World’s ‘MVP’ giving them a fighting chance, as he helped close the gap.

• Team World (John Isner and Jack Sock) beat Team Europe (Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic)
• Team Europe (Alexander Zverev) beat Team World (Sam Querrey)
• Team World (John Isner) beat Team Europe (Rafael Nadal)

Isner’s victory over Nadal narrowed Team Europe’s advantage to 12-9, as a win for Team World in their next match would’ve sent things to a decider.

Nick Kyrgios took on Roger Federer in a mouth-watering clash that had the Czech fans entertained throughout.

The Aussie clinched the first set 6-4 before Federer battled back in a second set tiebreak to level things up at 1-1.

Winning the match tie-breaker [11-9] the Swiss star secured victory for Team Europe, as Borg joined in the celebrations as the inaugural champion of the Laver Cup.

Team Europe have continued to enjoy success at the Laver Cup, winning five times, losing just twice to Team World, in 2022, and 2023.

McEnroe and Borg have now handed over the coaching responsibilities to Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah, who will take charge when the 2025 Laver Cup kicks off in San Francisco on September, 19.