"There have been many legendary encounters during the illustrious history of Wimbledon, none more so than the men’s semi-final match between Bjorn Borg and Vitas Gerulaitis in 1977."Seeded number 8, Vitas Gerulaitis was up against his longtime 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 champion’s caliber when he broke service and then went on to win the fifth game set 8-6.
"Borg’s 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 lightning 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."
