Borg sinks to his knees in triumph

Good call, bad call, good shot, bad shot - it's much the same to both and their reactions are the same - poker faced until victory is complete.

With Sampras it was almost a shock when he bellowed in delight to celebrate his record equalling seventh title when he beat Rafter in last year's final.

To that point he had given no clue that he was capable of feeling such emotion.

The same can be said of Borg, and the way he would sink to his knees to celebrate his Wimbledon titles.

So temperamentally it's hard to separate them, though the longevity of Sampras suggests the American enjoys a greater appetite for the sport than a man who quit the top level aged just 26.

Their approach to the sport is somewhat different on a tactical level.

But they both enjoy devastatingly accurate serves, given added effectiveness because of the difficulty of reading them.

Sampras can always unleash a booming serve to get him out of trouble

With today's racquet technology Borg's serve may well have proved as unreturnable as that of Sampras, and the broad shouldered Swede may have been tempted into the net off second serves as well.

We can reasonably assume that the serve would dominate such a contest and that break points would be at a premium.

So most sets would surely be decided in tie breaks, an area in which Sampras has traditionally been very strong.

Equally Borg's returns, usually of penetrating depth, would constantly ask questions, piling pressure on to the Sampras serve, which could lead to the odd double fault which can prove so crucial.

Decider

It would be no surprise to see the first four sets shared something like 7-6, 5-7, 7-6, 6-7 which would then take into a fifth and deciding set where the tie break isn't available.

Sampras would look no different to how he did at the start.

Lazily wafting his racquet about his ankles as he waits to receive serve, tongue lolling from a half open mouth.

A slight frown would be playing across his forehead from where sweat will have been disdainfully flicked away by his right index finger throughout the match.

Borg would show little sign of wear and tear either, his long blond locks controlled by a sweatband.

He would be sporting two weeks of growth on his chin having superstitiously not shaved throughout the Championships - and this of course would be the final.

Borg would be slightly more animated waiting to receive serve, and the quality of his heavily top spun ground strokes might create inroads on the Sampras serve early in the deciding set.

But the American would ease his way out of trouble, either with an ace down the centre or a vicious second serve into the Borg body.

At five-all in the decider it's all about nerve and stamina.

They're both supremely fit, that's not going to be a deciding issue.

Sampras may be starting to roll his head a little but his tactics are well set and will not alter.

He knows that for all his Wimbledon triumphs Borg was playing in an era when he was rarely challenged by a great serve/volleyer, and it was no coincidence that, when he was, he was finally dethroned by John McEnroe.

So Sampras will stick to his guns, even though his troublesome back is starting to ache.

Borg knows this and is prepared to rally from the baseline, to extend the points and wait for the errors.

Initially it wrongfoots Sampras, Borg has made a couple of decent returns and it's five-all 30-40. The crowd are going wild.

Borg is the big favourite having exuded quiet charisma throughout his career, while Sampras has always struggled to shed the 'boring' tag.

But he earned that by being so good, and he's not worried about the crowd.

Ace followed by service winner followed by ace - his 26th of the match - break point is saved and Sampras edges 6-5 ahead.

Suddenly Borg needs first serves, the threat of Sampras' relentless chip and charge returns on second serves is becoming overbearing.

Clean winner

At 15-all it becomes too much, Borg double faults striving for too much depth.

Sampras chips a return off a second serve on the next point and is at the net in a flash to volley the winner to bring up two Championship points.

The flashbulbs would be focused on Sampras

Without a trace of emotion Borg saves the first with a service winner, but on the second Sampras stuns his opponent with a backhand service return down the line and it's a clean winner.

On a grass court Sampras has just that little bit extra in the locker, it's why he's the greatest player Wimbledon has ever seen.

Borg ruefully looks to the sky, but allows himself a rare smile - he'd been part of the finest tennis match never seen.

He also knows that had it been played on the clay of the French Open there's not the slightest question that he would have won.