Gods of Tennis: Rebels, Rockstars & Revolutionaries

Gods of Tennis is a brand new documentary from the BBC which explores the golden age of tennis with the bitter rivalry of Bjorn Borg & John McEnroe in the early 1980s.

Whether you're actually into tennis or not you can't deny that it's always pretty cool to see what the top seeded players are wearing at Wimbledon. Even though nowadays it's less Settantas & more sweat wicking fabric technology, spotting a bit of Lacoste or Fila on centre court will always bring back fond memories of the golden age of tennis. We're not talking about Andy Murray having a meltdown because he left his personality at home here, we're talking about the 1970s & 1980s when tennis became cool and young working class kids from all other the country donned tracksuits worn by the likes of Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Guillermo Vilas & Ivan Lendl. The Casual subculture has a lot to thank for the stars of the golden age of tennis which is why we wanted to give this latest BBC documentary, Gods of Tennis, a shout out. Capturing the rebels, the rockstars & the revolutionaries from the colourful Casual era when the White Line reigned supreme & McEnroe had it large with the linesman, Gods of Tennis is a 3 part documentary which explores the tennis legends of the 1970s & 1980s. "Crowds flock to see two tennis superstars face off against each other in the 1981 Wimbledon men's final. The rivalry between sex symbol Bjorn Borg and tabloid bad boy John McEnroe is the fiercest the men's game has ever seen. Back in the mid-70s, Borg is bringing a new glamour and celebrity to Centre Court and is regularly mobbed by hordes of screaming fans. He quickly dominates the men's game but is soon challenged by a young upstart from New York _ John McEnroe. With little respect for the institution of Wimbledon, McEnroe clashes spectacularly with the umpires and his explosive outbursts on Centre Court become all too frequent. Their showdowns in the Wimbledon finals in 1980 and 1981 are among the most memorable matches in men's tennis. But their sporting prowess brings with it an intense level of media scrutiny. And while McEnroe's antics infuriate the tabloids and the Wimbledon hierarchy, it's the calm and collected Borg who struggles to cope." You can stream all 3 episodes of Gods of Tennis now via BBC iPlayer.