Internaționali români de fotbal: Ioan Andone, zis Fălcosul

Ioan Andone (n. 15 martie 1960, Șpălnaca, Alba) este un antrenor român de fotbal, care în prezent pregătește echipa FC Dinamo București. În cariera de jucător, a evoluat pentru Echipa națională de fotbal a României la Campionatul Mondial de Fotbal din 1990 și, printre altele, pentru Dinamo București, fiind unul din jucătorii emblematici ai acestei echipe.

A fost component al clubului Corvinul Hunedoara. Din 1983 s-a transferat la FC Dinamo București. Are la activ un număr de 55 de selecții în prima reprezentativă, 255 meciuri în Divizia A și 35 de goluri marcate.


Ca antrenor, Andone a pregătit pînă acum Sportul Studențesc (1993-1994, 1996, 2001-2003), Universitatea Cluj (1994-1996), Petrolul Ploiești (1996-1997), Farul Constanța (1998-1999), FC Brașov (1999-2000), FC Bihor Oradea (2000-2001), Dinamo București (2003-2006), Omonia Nicosia (2006-2007), CFR Cluj (2007-2008), Al-Ettifaq (2008-2009), Al-Ahli (2009), ȚSKA Sofia (2010).

Andone a cîștigat pînă acum eventul cu două formații diferite, cu Dinamo (2004) și CFR Cluj (2008), fiind unul dintre puținii antrenori români care au reușit această performanță. În afară de acestea, a mai cîștigat în 2003 și în 2005 Cupa României cu Dinamo București.



Ioan Andone (born 15 March 1960) is a Romanian football coach and former player, who is the manager of Dinamo Bucureşti.
He made his Divizia A debut with Corvinul Hunedoara in 1979. He later went to Dinamo Bucureşti where he helped win the league title in 1984 and 1990 and the cup title in 1984, 1986 and 1990. In 1990 he was bought by Spanish team Elche for 125.000 $. Then he went on to play two seasons in the Netherlands for SC Heerenveen til 1993 where he finished his playing career.

Andone was capped 55 times and scored 2 goals for the national team, and represented his country at the 1990 World Cup.

CNN's Play Of The Day Hero: Romulus Buia, singurul fotbalist român remarcat la FAZA ZILEI, pe postul tv american CNN

Romulus Buia (born June 15, 1970 in Baia Mare) is a Romanian football player. He was nicknamed "Figo from Berceni" by the fans of Rocar Bucharest which played the home games on a field in the Berceni Neighborhood in Bucharest, because of the similarities with the Portuguese football star Luís Figo.

Buia made his professional debut at the age of 18, playing for Minerul Cavnic in the Romanian Divizia B, before joining FC Baia Mare at the age of 19, a club also from Divizia B.

In 1991, at the age of 21, he made international debut against United States in a friendly game. He also played for Romania national football team in 1992, this time against Mexico.

FC Barcelona paid a close attention to him during the 1991-92 season. In the summer of 1992, Johan Cruijff, the Catalan side coach, invited him to train with the team but in the end the transfer did not materialised.

Buia started the 1992-93 at FC Baia Mare but was then transferred to Germinal Ekeren (3550) of Belgium during the season. He played in Belgium for two years, before being loaned back to Romania, this time at Universitatea Craiova, therefore making his debut in Romanian top league, Divizia A. In 1995 he returned to Ekeren but after at half season he terminated his contract and returned in Romania, signing a contract with Sportul Studenţesc of Bucharest, before joining again Universitatea Craiova for two seasons.

In 1998 his contract with Universitatea Craiova terminated and he failed to find another one with a top team, and therefored played for Progresul Şomcuta Mare, a team from the Romanian fourth division.



In 2000 he returned to Divizia A after signing a contract with Rocar Bucharest. After only a year he joined Dinamo Bucharest but left the team at the end of 2001 to play for Gloria Bistriţa.

In 2002 he was signed by FCU Politehnica Timişoara, where he stayed until 2005, before being sacked by the new Timişoara coach, Cosmin Olăroiu and subsequently joining Pandurii Târgu Jiu.

In the season 2005-06 he played at Minerul Valea Copcii in Liga III before signing for AS Covaci in Romanian Liga IV.

After retiring from professional football, Romulus Buia became a businessman specialising in retail.

World Boxing Champions : Leonard Doroftei versus Paul Spadafora

Leonard Dorin Doroftei (n. 10 aprilie 1970) este un fost pugilist român, campion mondial WBA la categoria semi-ușoară (61,9 kg) între 5 ianuarie 2002 și 24 octombrie 2003.

Născut la Ploiești, Leonard a început să practice boxul la vârsta de 14 ani la clubul Prahova Ploiești. Între 1986 și 1988 a cucerit în fiecare an titlul național la juniori. Mai târziu a obținut cinci titluri naționale la seniori în 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 și 1997. A câștigat medalii de bronz la Jocurile Olimpice de la Barcelona în 1992 și la Atlanta în 1996. De asemenea, a fost campion mondial în 1995 și campion european în 1996 și 1997. Palmaresul său la amatori este de 239 de victorii și 15 înfrângeri.

În 1997 Doroftei a devenit boxer profesionist făcând un contract cu clubul canadian Interbox. Pe 5 ianuarie 2002 a cucerit titlul de campion mondial profesionist la categoria semi-ușoară a versiunii WBA, învingându-l la puncte pe argentinianul Raul Horacio Balbi. Pe 31 mai, la București, Doroftei a luptat din nou împotriva lui Balbi și de data aceasta românul s-a impus în mod clar.

Leonard Dorin Doroftei (known also as Leonard Dorin, though his family name is Doroftei; born 10 April 1970) is a Romanian former boxer, the WBA lightweight world champion from 5 January 2002 to 24 October 2003.

Born in Ploieşti, Doroftei began boxing, at the age of 14, at the Prahova Ploieşti boxing club. From 1983 to 1984, he won every Romanian national junior title. He went on to win five national senior titles in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997. He won bronze medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, he was declared World Champion in 1995 and European Champion in 1993 and 1992. His record as an amateur was 239 victories and 15 defeats.

In 1997, Doroftei became a professional boxer, signing with the Canadian club Interbox. On 5 January 2002 he won the WBA world lightweight title, winning in a split decision over Argentinian boxer Raul Horacio Balbi 112-115, 114-113, 115-112. On 31 May the two fought again in Bucharest; this second fight was a unanimous decision for Doroftei, 118-111, 117-112 and 118-110.
A lightweight title unification bout on 17 May 2003 with American boxer Paul Spadafora, the IBF champion, ended in a draw, 114-114, 115-113, 114-115.

On 24 October 2003, Doroftei was to fight a match against Panamanian boxer Miguel Callist. Doroftei had already announced that this would be his last professional match regardless of the result. As it turned out, the match was cancelled after Doroftei exceeded the maximum weight for lightweights at the weigh-in: he was 4¼ lb (1.9 kg) over the 135 lb (61.2 kg) weight limit, so he lost his WBA title.

On 24 July 2004, Doroftei lost his undefeated mark when he tried to get the interim WBC title, getting knocked out in two rounds by Arturo Gatti.

His record consisted of 22 wins, 1 loss and one draw, with 8 knockout wins.

World Boxing Champions : Leonard Doroftei versus Raul Balbi

Leonard Dorin Doroftei (n. 10 aprilie 1970) este un fost pugilist român, campion mondial WBA la categoria semi-ușoară (61,9 kg) între 5 ianuarie 2002 și 24 octombrie 2003.

Născut la Ploiești, Leonard a început să practice boxul la vârsta de 14 ani la clubul Prahova Ploiești. Între 1986 și 1988 a cucerit în fiecare an titlul național la juniori. Mai târziu a obținut cinci titluri naționale la seniori în 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 și 1997. A câștigat medalii de bronz la Jocurile Olimpice de la Barcelona în 1992 și la Atlanta în 1996. De asemenea, a fost campion mondial în 1995 și campion european în 1996 și 1997. Palmaresul său la amatori este de 239 de victorii și 15 înfrângeri.

În 1997 Doroftei a devenit boxer profesionist făcând un contract cu clubul canadian Interbox. Pe 5 ianuarie 2002 a cucerit titlul de campion mondial profesionist la categoria semi-ușoară a versiunii WBA, învingându-l la puncte pe argentinianul Raul Horacio Balbi. Pe 31 mai, la București, Doroftei a luptat din nou împotriva lui Balbi și de data aceasta românul s-a impus în mod clar.




Leonard Dorin Doroftei (known also as Leonard Dorin, though his family name is Doroftei; born 10 April 1970) is a Romanian former boxer, the WBA lightweight world champion from 5 January 2002 to 24 October 2003.

Born in Ploieşti, Doroftei began boxing, at the age of 14, at the Prahova Ploieşti boxing club. From 1983 to 1984, he won every Romanian national junior title. He went on to win five national senior titles in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997. He won bronze medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, he was declared World Champion in 1995 and European Champion in 1993 and 1992. His record as an amateur was 239 victories and 15 defeats.

In 1997, Doroftei became a professional boxer, signing with the Canadian club Interbox. On 5 January 2002 he won the WBA world lightweight title, winning in a split decision over Argentinian boxer Raul Horacio Balbi 112-115, 114-113, 115-112. On 31 May the two fought again in Bucharest; this second fight was a unanimous decision for Doroftei, 118-111, 117-112 and 118-110.

Oldies but goldies: Walter Zenga, Uomo Ragno. Spider-Man-ul lui Inter

Walter Zenga este un fotbalist italian retras din activitate, care a jucat mult timp ca portar la Inter Milano și în echipa națională a Italiei.

Walter Zenga este un fotbalist italian retras din activitate, care a jucat mult timp ca portar la Inter Milano și în echipa națională a Italiei. A fost de asemenea membru al naționalei italiene care a terminat pe locul 4 la Olimpiada din 1984 (Los Angeles, California) și al reprezentativei care a terminat pe locul 3 Cupa Mondială din 1990, Zenga fiind titular în toate partidele.

Walter Zenga is a retired Italian footballer and current manager. He is a long-time goalkeeper for the Italian national team and Internazionale, who currently serves as head coach of UAE League team Al-Nasr.


During his playing career, Zenga was part of the Italian squad that finished fourth at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA and the World Cup squad that finished third in the 1990 World Cup tournament held in Italy, in which Zenga started every game for the Azzurri.


Came back to Internazionale in 1982, after starting his professional career in 1978 in the lower divisions of Italian soccer (his first team was Salernitana in Serie C1, and he also played for Savona and Sambenedettese). Zenga became Inter's starter in his second year with the team, and continued in that position for 11 seasons, until 1994, winning a scudetto in the 1988–89 season and the UEFA Cup in 1991 and 1994, his last season with the club. After being one of the backup goalkeepers (third choice) at the 1986 World Cup, Zenga became the starter when during the Euro 1988. Zenga was still first choice goalkeeper when Italy hosted the tournament in 1990, and led the team to a third-place finish during which he set a record of five consecutive clean sheets, and a total of 518 minutes without conceding a goal, a record still standing. The record was somewhat fortunate, as Czechoslovakia scored against Italy in a first round match, only for the referee to incorrectly disallow it for offside. He finished his international career with 58 caps for his country.


In 1994, Zenga transferred to Sampdoria, and then to Padova two years later. He then moved on to New England Revolution and Major League Soccer. Zenga played in goal for them in the league's second season in 1997, then left to pursue an acting career (he and his girlfriend starred in an Italian soap opera). During a game versus the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1997, he celebrated a goal by running to the sidelines and making out with his girlfriend, as the Mutiny barely missed the open net straight from the kickoff. Zenga came back to the Revs in 1999, as a player-manager, but only lasted a year in both those positions.

During his playing career, Zenga was nicknamed Uomo Ragno (Spider-Man) due to his goalkeeping skills, especially his agility.

Succes 2010: Mihail Kalaşnikov, designerul sovietic al celebrelor arme de asalt care-i poarta numele

Designerul rus Mihail Kalaşnikov s-a născut la 10 noiembrie 1919 într-un sat siberian. Fiu de ţăran bogat, a fost deportat în timpul lui Stalin, în 1930, la vârsta de 11 ani.
Rănit în prime lupte din război, în 1941, el a fost evacuat şi a început sa proiecteze ceea ce urma să devină AK-47 în 1947.

Uzina Ijmaş, din Urali, produce anual aproape 100.000 de puşti Kalaşnikov. Circa 900.000 sunt fabricate anual fără licenţă în lume, potrivit reprezentanţilor uzinei. Mihail Kalaşnikov nu a câştigat aproape nimic din invenţia sa, utilizată de armatele din 50 de ţări.


Mozambicul a plasat kalaşnikovul pe stema naţională. Statisticile spun ca este arma cu cel mai mare succes din istorie.


Lieutenant General Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (Russian: Михаи́л Тимофе́евич Кала́шников, Mihail Timofeevič Kalašnikov) (born November 10, 1919 in Russia's Southern Altai region) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) small arms designer, most famous for designing the AK-47 assault rifle, the AKM and the AK-74.
Kalashnikov's father was deported when Kalashnikov was still a boy.In his youth Kalashnikov wrote poetry, and he was expected to become a poet. He went on to write six books and has continued to write poetry all his life.
Kalashnikov was conscripted into the Red Army in 1938, and became a tank driver-mechanic, achieving the rank of senior sergeant (tank commander) serving on the T-34s of the 24th Tank Regiment, 12th Tank Division[5] stationed in Stryi before the regiment retreated after the failed counterattack at Brody, June 1941. He was wounded in combat during the defence of Bryansk, October 1941, and released for six months recuperation due to illness. While in the hospital, he overheard some soldiers complaining about the Soviet rifles of the time.

He also had bad experiences with the standard infantry weapons at the time, and so he was inspired to start constructing a new rifle for the Soviet military. During this time Kalashnikov began designing a submachine gun.

Although his first submachine gun design was not accepted into service, his talent as a designer was noticed. From 1942 onwards Kalashnikov was assigned to the Central Scientific-developmental Firing Range for Rifle Firearms of the Chief Artillery Directorate of RKKA. Later in life he claimed that the priority of simplicity and dependability in his designs was influenced by principles he had gained from reading of Russian literature and the Bible.

In 1944, he designed a gas-operated carbine for the new 7.62x39 mm cartridge; this weapon, influenced by the M1 Garand rifle, lost out to the new Simonov carbine which would be eventually adopted as the SKS; but it became a basis for his entry in an assault rifle competition in 1946. His winning entry, the "Mikhtim" (so named by taking the first letters of his name and patronymic Mikhail Timofeyevich) became the prototype for the development of a family of prototype rifles.

This process culminated in 1947, when he designed the AK-47 (standing for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947). In 1956, the AK-47 assault rifle became the Soviet Army's standard issue rifle and went on to become Kalashnikov's most famous invention.

Since 1949, Mikhail Kalashnikov has lived and worked in Izhevsk, Udmurtia. He holds an advanced degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences.

After World War II, as General Designer of small arms for the Soviet Army, his design subordinates included the Germans Hugo Schmeisser, designer of the StG-44, and Werner Grüner (of MG 42 fame) who was a pioneer in sheet metal embossing technology in the 1950s.

Over the course of his career he evolved the basic design into a weapons family. The AKM ("Avtomat Kalashnikov Modernizirovanniy" - Automatic Kalashnikov Modernized) first appeared in 1963, which was lighter and cheaper to manufacture due to the use of a stamped steel receiver (in place of the AK47's milled steel receiver), and contained detail improvements such as a re-shaped stock and muzzle compensator. From the AKM he developed a squad automatic weapon variant, known as the RPK (Ruchnoi pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov light machine gun), and also the PK (Pulemyot Kalashnikova - Kalashnikov machine gun), which used the more powerful 7.62×54R of the Mosin-Nagant rifle. The PK series is a general purpose machine gun, which is cartridge belt-fed, not magazine-fed, as it is intended to fill the heavy tripod-mounted sustained fire role as well as the light, bipod-mounted role. The common characteristics of his weapons are the simple, elegant engineering and their ruggedness and ease of maintenance in all operating conditions.

Despite estimates of some 100 million AK-47 assault rifles circulating, General Kalashnikov claims he has not profited and that he only receives a state pension. He does however own 30% of a German company Marken Marketing International (MMI), based in Solingen, that revamps trademarks and produces merchandise carrying the Kalashnikov name, such as vodka, umbrellas and knives. One of the items is a knife named for the AK-74.

Succes 2011: Björn Borg, one of the greatest tennis players of all time

Björn Borg is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles (a record shared with Roger Federer) and four consecutive French Open singles titles (a record shared with Rafael Nadal). He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

During his relatively brief pro career, Borg won 41 percent of the Grand Slam singles tournaments he entered (11 of 27) and 89.81 percent (141-16) of the Grand Slam singles matches he played, which is an all time record. He also has the highest all surfaces (grass, clay, hard, carpet, court) career match winning percentage of any other male player 82.68 (730/603). All three are open era male records for an entire career. In addition, Borg's six French Open singles titles are an open era male record. He is one of four players in the open era to win both Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year and the only player to do so for three consecutive years. He also won three year end championship titles including two Masters Grand Prix titles and one WCT Final title.

Borg joined the professional circuit at age 14. In 1972, at the age of 15, Borg became one of the youngest players ever to represent his country in the Davis Cup and won his debut singles rubber in five sets against seasoned professional Onny Parun of New Zealand. Later that year, he won the Wimbledon junior singles title, recovering from a 5-2 deficit in the final set to overcome Britain's Buster Mottram.

In 1973, Borg reached the Wimbledon main draw quarterfinals in his first attempt. Just before his 18th birthday in 1974, Borg won his first top-level singles title at the Italian Open, becoming its youngest winner. Two weeks later he became the then-youngest winner of the French Open defeating Manuel Orantes in the final 2–6, 6–7, 6–0, 6–1, 6–1. Barely 18 at the time, Borg was the youngest-ever male French Open champion (the record has since been lowered by Mats Wilander in 1982 and Michael Chang in 1989).


In early 1975, Borg defeated the great Rod Laver, then 36 years old, in a semifinal of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) finals in Dallas, Texas 7–6, 3–6, 5–7, 7–6, 6–2. Borg subsequently lost to Arthur Ashe in the final.


Borg retained his French Open title in 1975, beating Guillermo Vilas in the final in straight sets (three sets). Borg then reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual champion Ashe 2-6, 6-4, 8-6, 6-1. Borg did not lose another match at Wimbledon until 1981.

Borg won two singles and one doubles rubber in the 1975 Davis Cup final as Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 3–2. With these singles wins, Borg had won 19 consecutive Davis Cup singles rubbers since 1973. That was already a record at the time. But Borg never lost another Davis Cup singles rubber, and, by the end of his career, he had stretched that winning streak to 33—a Davis Cup record that still stands.

In early 1976, Borg won the World Championship Tennis year ending WCT Finals in Dallas, Texas with a four-set victory over Guillermo Vilas in the final.

At the 1976 French Open Borg lost to the Italian Adriano Panatta, who remains the only player to defeat Borg at this tournament. Panatta did it twice: in the fourth round in 1973 (7–6, 2–6, 7–5, 7–6), and in the 1976 quarter-finals (6–3, 6–3, 2–6, 7–6).

Borg won Wimbledon in 1976 without losing a set, defeating the favored Ilie Năstase in the final. Borg became the youngest male Wimbledon champion of the modern era at 20 years and 1 month (a record subsequently broken by Boris Becker, who won Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985). It would be the last time Borg played Wimbledon as an underdog. Ilie Năstase later exclaimed,"We're playing tennis, he's [Borg] playing something else."

Borg also reached the final of the 1976 US Open, which was then being played on clay courts. Borg lost in four sets to World No. 1 Jimmy Connors.


Borg skipped the French Open in 1977 because he was under contract with WTT, but he repeated his Wimbledon triumph, although this time he was pushed much harder. He defeated his good friend Vitas Gerulaitis in a semifinal 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 8–6.[8] In the final, Borg was pushed to five sets for the third time in the tournament, this time by Connors. The win propelled Borg to the #1 ranking on the computer, albeit for just one week in August.

Through 1977 he had never lost to a player younger than himself.

Borg was at the height of his career from 1978 through 1980, completing the difficult French Open-Wimbledon double all three years.

In 1978, Borg won the French Open with a win over Vilas in the final. Borg did not drop a set during the tournament, a feat only he, Năstase (in 1973), and Rafael Nadal (in 2008 and 2010) have accomplished at the French Open during the open era.

Borg defeated Connors in straight sets at the 1978 Wimbledon. At the US Open, now held on hard courts in Flushing Meadow, New York, he lost the final in straight sets to Connors. That autumn, Borg faced John McEnroe for the first time in a semifinal of the Stockholm Open and was upset 6–3, 6–4.

Borg lost to McEnroe again in four sets in the final of the 1979 WCT Finals but was now overtaking Connors for the top ranking. Borg established himself firmly in the top spot with his fourth French Open singles title and fourth straight Wimbledon singles title, defeating Connors in a straight-set semifinal at the latter tournament. At the French Open, Borg defeated big-serving Victor Pecci in a four-set final, and at Wimbledon, Borg took five sets to overcome an even bigger server, Roscoe Tanner. Borg was upset by Tanner at the US Open, in a four-set quarterfinal played under the lights.

At the season-ending Masters tournament in January 1980, Borg survived a close semifinal against McEnroe 6–7, 6-3, 7–6(1). He then beat Gerulaitis in straight sets, winning his first Masters and first title in New York. In June, he overcame Gerulaitis, again in straight sets, for his fifth French Open title. Again, he did not drop a set.

Borg won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, the 1980 Wimbledon Men's Singles final, by defeating McEnroe in a five-set match, often cited as the best Wimbledon final ever played. Having lost the opening set 6-1 to an all-out McEnroe assault, Borg took the next two 7-5, 6-3 and had two Championship points at 5-4 in the fourth. But McEnroe averted disaster and went on to level the match in Wimbledon's most memorable 34-point tiebreaker, which he won 18-16. In the fourth-set tiebreak, McEnroe saved five match points and Borg six set points before McEnroe won the set. Bjorn served first to begin the 5th set and fell behind 15-40. Borg then won 19 straight points on serve in the deciding set and prevailed after 3 hours, 53 minutes. Borg himself commented years later that this was the first time that he was afraid that he would lose, as well as feeling that it was the beginning of the end of his dominance. Borg married Romanian tennis pro Mariana Simionescu in Bucharest on 24 July 1980.

He defeated McEnroe in the final of the 1980 Stockholm Open, 6–3, 6–4, and faced him one more time that year, in the round-robin portion of the year-end Masters, played in January 1981. With 19,103 fans in attendance, Borg won a deciding third-set tie-break for the second year in a row, 6–4, 6–7, 7–6(2). Borg then defeated Ivan Lendl for his second Masters title, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2.


Borg won his last Grand Slam title at the French Open in 1981, defeating Lendl in a five-set final. Borg's six French Open singles titles remains a record in the Open era for a male player.

In reaching the Wimbledon final in 1981, Borg stretched his winning streak at the All England Club to a record 41 matches. In a semifinal, Borg was down to Connors by two sets to love before coming back to win the match 0–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–0, 6–4. However, Borg's streak was brought to an end by McEnroe, who defeated him in four sets, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Borg went on to lose to McEnroe at the 1981 US Open, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, and the defeat effectively ended Borg's career. After that defeat, Borg walked off court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun. It would turn out to be the Swede's last Grand Slam final. Although he felt in good condition physically, he recognized that the relentless drive to win and defy tour organizers had begun to fade.

The U.S. Open was his particular jinx. He failed to win in 10 tries, losing four finals, 1976 and 1978 to Jimmy Connors, and 1980 and 1981 to McEnroe. In 1978, 1979 and 1980, he was halfway to a Grand Slam after victories at the French and Wimbledon (the Australian Open being the last Grand Slam tournament of each year at the time) only to falter at Flushing Meadow, lefty Tanner his conqueror in 1979.

He had appeared only once at the Australian Open, earlier in his career, at which he lost in one of the earlier rounds.

In 1982, Borg played only one tournament, losing to Yannick Noah in the quarterfinals of Monte Carlo. Nevertheless, Borg's announcement in January 1983 that he was retiring from the game at the age of 26 was a shock to the tennis world. McEnroe tried unsuccessfully to persuade Borg to continue.