John McEnroe vs. Jimmy Connors...U. S. Open Semifinals 1984

[don_budge]

"September 8, 1984...many call it the greatest day in tennis history. Super Saturday at the U. S. Open featured three great matches starting with a five set thriller won by Ivan Lendl over Pat Cash. Then came a women's final between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert that also went the distance. Then just past seven-thirty PM came a fitting capper between two men who really personified all the grit and over the top intensity of the U. S. Open. Who else but Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. Let's get you out, right now, to the 1984 U. S. Open Men's Singles Semifinal."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOB7rqLayHo

The above quote from the talking head at The Tennis Channel. My comments to follow. Feel free to add to the discussion.

[don_budge]

September 8, 1984...U. S. Open Men's Singles Semifinals

The Greatest Day in Tennis Ever. GOAT. That is what Bud Collins said about this day. He wasn't the only one. I was there from start to finish and it was a God Moment. So it seemed at the time. Best of all...it was free. The best things in life are free. Is that true? In this case it was.

https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/ar...chtype=singles

It's one of the many interesting and strange events in my life that have left me asking myself...is it fate or is it coincidence? Isn't that the existential question that mankind has been asking of himself forever? Is it luck or is it destiny? Ever since he had accumulated enough intellect to peer out of the fog of the Neanderthal mush. Is there a God? Doesn't something very powerful make the sky light up with lightning? The miracle of fire. Steady don_budge...keep your eyes on the prize. But this day in 1984 will forever be etched in my mind. Even later that year the event took on even greater significance and even thirty years later I was still looking back and interpreting the signs. After all...isn't that what life is all about? Seeing the signs and knowing their meaning? Think of that...who sees signs? don_budge does...thats who.

We can start off our little holiday discussion with who's in the booth and then we will naturally descend into things like the racquets, the player's personalities and my personal observations and how my thoughts came to fruition and evolved into the point in time and space where my spirit currently resides...at that point that is directly in front of my nose. I am here. You are there.

The commentators are Tony Trabert, John Newcombe and Pat Summerall. Trabert is a super well connected tennis guy by now and his playing career is long in the rear view mirror. He is a voice right out of the Bill Tilden book of tennis. A character from the past who's roots are totally sunk in the history and lore of classic tennis. An American who battled the Aussies in the fifties. He was well aware of the entities of my teaching paradigm...Tilden, Gonzales, Budge and Hopman. Next to him is Pat Summerall who was always a voice of reason, clarity and subtle humour in the box. A great athlete in his own right he had enough insight to tag along and contribute just enough to justify a handsome wage. The wild card is John Newcombe who is the gun slinging Aussie who doesn't pull any punches and shoots from the hip.

Newcombe himself contributed to this day with his playing skills being the first match on the stadium court on this day in a three set loss to Stan Smith in one of the Veteran Semifinals. His valuable insights into the players in this match and with all of his deep understanding of the game as it was pounded into him by the coach of my teaching paradigm...Harry Hopman. Some of things that came out of the mouths of these three on this particular day were astounding. They were as much on their game as the players were on theirs.

[stroke]

1984 was certainly a great US Open. As good as it was, 1989 men's quarters and semis were right there. That year quarters had Mac, Lendl, Sampras, Agassi, and Becker. Sampras had to beat Lendl in 5 sets to then play Mac and eventually Agassi in the finals. May have been the most impressive 3 consecutive wins in a tournament of his career.