There’s nothing quite like a John McEnroe dummy spit. And I should know: I’ve seen all the modern pretenders try. Sure, Andy Roddick throws a reasonably good hissy fit, while Marat Safin can throw his racquet with the best of them. And, when it comes to expletives on the court, Andy Murray has done well to capture some of the headlines. But, in the end, none of them quite match up to the original bad boy, the doyen of tennis-related profanities – John ‘You cannot be serious!’ McEnroe.

With this in mind, we’re intrigued to see what will happen when ‘the Mac’ comes up against arguably the greatest tennis player ever to play the game, as well as renowned gentleman on court, Roger Federer, at tomorrow night’s Tennis Showdown 2008.

As well as McEnroe and Federer, rounding out the quartet at the Venetian’s Cotai Arena will be Swedish maestro Bjorn Borg, and the ATP eleventh ranked (and tennis heart-throb, apparently) James Blake. Suitably, it’s being marketed as ‘4 Champions, 2 Eras’.

Lest you have visions of the sport’s elder statesmen creaking around the court while the young guns bound between points, the reality is a more balanced affair. McEnroe will rekindle his rivalry with Borg in a single set showdown (presumably because any more would be pushing it), a clash reminiscent of the celebrated 1980 Wimbledon final which, before this year’s epic encounter between Federer and Nadal, had long been considered the greatest final in Wimbledon history. Meanwhile, Federer, who in 2007 equalled Borg’s record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles, will face off against Blake in a three-setter. However, it’s the final match of the evening that promises to be the highlight of the night, when all four take to the court in a fast and furious ten point doubles tiebreaker – Federer and Borg against Blake and McEnroe.

All in all, it is sure to be an evening of top-quality tennis and, here’s hoping, just a little bit of that John McEnroe vulgarity.