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Borg won his last Grand Slam title at the French Open in [[1981 French Open – Men's singles|1981]], defeating Lendl in a five-set final. Borg's six French Open Grand Slam titles was a record bettered only by [[Rafael Nadal]] in 2012.
Borg won his last Grand Slam title at the French Open in [[1981 French Open – Men's singles|1981]], defeating Lendl in a five-set final. Borg's six French Open Grand Slam titles was a record bettered only by [[Rafael Nadal]] in 2012.


In reaching the Wimbledon final in [[1981 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|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. However, Borg's streak was brought to an end by McEnroe, who defeated him in four sets. Years afterward, Borg remarked "And when I lost what shocked me was I wasn't even upset. That was not me: losing a Wimbledon final and not upset. I hate to lose." Borg around that time felt that his desire to play was gone, despite McEnroe's desperate efforts to persuade him not to retire and continue their rivalry.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07"/>
In reaching the Wimbledon final in [[1981 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|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 none, before coming back to win the match. However, Borg's streak was brought to an end by McEnroe, who defeated him in four sets. Years afterward, Borg remarked "And when I lost what shocked me was I wasn't even upset. That was not me: losing a Wimbledon final and not upset. I hate to lose." Borg around that time felt that his desire to play was gone, despite McEnroe's desperate efforts to persuade him not to retire and continue their rivalry.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07"/>


Borg went on to lose to McEnroe at the [[1981 US Open – Men's singles|1981]] US Open. After that defeat, Borg walked off the court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun, and headed straight for the airport.<ref name="sverigesradio" /><ref name="Observer 2007-01-07" /> There are reports that Borg received threats after his semifinal win over Connors. In later years, Borg apologized to McEnroe. The 1981 US Open would be the Swede's last Grand Slam final. Major tournaments and tour organizers were enforcing a new rule; by 1982, that players had to play at least 10 official tournaments per year. However, Borg wanted to curtail his schedule after many years of winning so often. Although he felt in good condition physically, he recognized that the relentless drive to win and defy tour organizers had begun to fade.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07"/>
Borg went on to lose to McEnroe at the [[1981 US Open – Men's singles|1981]] US Open. After that defeat, Borg walked off the court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun, and headed straight for the airport.<ref name="sverigesradio" /><ref name="Observer 2007-01-07" /> There are reports that Borg received threats after his semifinal win over Connors. In later years, Borg apologized to McEnroe. The 1981 US Open would be the Swede's last Grand Slam final. Major tournaments and tour organizers were enforcing a new rule; by 1982, that players had to play at least 10 official tournaments per year. However, Borg wanted to curtail his schedule after many years of winning so often. Although he felt in good condition physically, he recognized that the relentless drive to win and defy tour organizers had begun to fade.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07"/>

Revision as of 20:50, 9 November 2022

For other uses, see Björn Borg (disambiguation).

Björn Borg
Borg in 2014
Full nameBjörn Rune Borg
Country (sports) Sweden
ResidenceNorrmalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Born (1956-06-06) 6 June 1956 (age 68)
Stockholm, Sweden
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro1973 (comeback in 1991)
Retired1984, 1993
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachLennart Bergelin (1971–1983)
Ron Thatcher (1991–1993)
Prize moneyUS$3,655,751
Int. Tennis HoF1987 (member page)
Singles
Career record654–140
Career titles66 (8th in the Open Era)
Highest rankingNo. 1 (23 August 1977)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (1974)
French OpenW (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)
WimbledonW (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)
US OpenF (1976, 1978, 1980, 1981)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsW (1979, 1980)
WCT FinalsW (1976)
Doubles
Career record86–81 (51.2%)
Career titles4
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open3R (1973)
French OpenSF (1974, 1975)
Wimbledon3R (1976)
US Open3R (1975)
Team competitions
Davis CupW (1975)

Björn Rune Borg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈbjœːɳ ˈbɔrj] ⓘ; born 6 June 1956) is a Swedish former world No. 1 tennis player. Between 1974 and 1981, he became the first man in the Open Era to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles with six at the French Open and five consecutively at Wimbledon.

Borg won four consecutive French Open titles (1978–81) and is 6–0 in French Open finals. He was the first man since 1886 to contest six consecutive Wimbledon finals, a record surpassed by Roger Federer's seven consecutive finals (2003–09). He is the only man to achieve the Channel Slam three times. Borg contested the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open finals in the same year three times (1978, 1980–81). He won three major titles without dropping a set during those tournaments. However, he never won the US Open despite four runner-up finishes.

Borg also won three year-end championships and 16 Grand Prix Super Series titles. Overall, he set numerous records that still stand. He was ATP Player of the Year from 1976 to 1980, and was the year-end world No. 1 in the ATP rankings in 1979 and 1980 and ITF World Champion from 1978 to 1980. Borg is the only Swede, male or female, to win over 10 majors. Borg unexpectedly retired from tennis in 1981, at the age of 25. He made a brief and unsuccessful comeback in 1991.

Borg is widely considered one of the all-time greats of the sport. He was ranked by Tennis magazine as the sixth-greatest male player of the Open Era.[1] His rivalry with John McEnroe is considered one of the best in the sport's history, and their meeting in the 1980 Wimbledon final is considered one of the greatest matches ever played.[2] A teenage sensation at the start of his career, Borg experienced unprecedented stardom and consistent success that helped propel the rising popularity of tennis during the 1970s.[3] As a result, the professional tour became more lucrative, and in 1979, Borg became the first player to earn more than $1 million USD in prize money in a single season.

Early life

Borg in 1974

Björn Borg was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on 6 June 1956, as the only child of Rune (1932–2008), an electrician, and Margaretha Borg (b. 1934).[4] He grew up in nearby Södertälje. As a child, Borg became fascinated with a golden tennis racket that his father won at a table-tennis tournament. His father gave him the racket, beginning his tennis career.[5]

A player of great athleticism and endurance, he had a distinctive style and appearance—bowlegged and very fast. His muscularity allowed him to put heavy topspin on both his forehand and two-handed backhand. He followed Jimmy Connors in using the two-handed backhand. By the time he was 13, he was beating the best of Sweden's under-18 players, and Davis Cup captain Lennart Bergelin (who served as Borg's primary coach throughout his professional career) cautioned against anyone trying to change Borg's rough-looking, jerky strokes.[6]

Career

1972–73 – Davis Cup debut and first year on the tour

At the age of 15, Borg represented Sweden in the 1972 Davis Cup and won his debut singles rubber in five sets against veteran 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. Then in December, he won the Orange Bowl Junior Championship for boys 18 and under after a straight-sets victory in the final over Vitas Gerulaitis.[7][8] Borg joined the professional circuit in 1973, and reached his first singles final in April at the Monte Carlo Open, which he lost to Ilie Năstase.[9] He was unseeded at his first French Open and reached the fourth round where he lost in four sets to eighth-seeded Adriano Panatta. Borg was seeded sixth at his first Wimbledon Championships, in large part due to a boycott by the ATP, and reached the quarterfinal, where he was defeated in a five-set match by Roger Taylor.[10] In the second half of 1973, he was runner-up in San Francisco, Stockholm and Buenos Aires and finished the year ranked No. 18.[9][11]

1974 – First French Open title

Borg (left) celebrating his win over Guillermo Vilas at the French Open final in 1975
Borg (right) playing Tom Okker at Rotterdam Open in 1974

Borg made his only appearance at the Australian Open at the age of 17, and reached the third round, where he lost in straight sets to eventual finalist Phil Dent. In January, he won his first career singles title at the New Zealand Open,[12] followed by titles in London and São Paulo in February and March respectively. Just before his 18th birthday in June 1974, Borg won his first top-level singles title at the Italian Open, defeating defending champion and top-seeded Ilie Năstase in the final and becoming its youngest winner.[13][14][15] Two weeks later, he won the singles title at the French Open, his first Grand Slam tournament title, defeating Manuel Orantes in the final in five sets. Barely 18, Borg was the youngest-ever male French Open champion up to that point.

1975 – Retained French Open title

In early 1975, Borg defeated Rod Laver, then 36 years old, in a semifinal of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) finals in Dallas, Texas, in five sets. 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.[16] Borg then reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual champion Ashe. 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. However, Borg never lost another Davis Cup singles rubber, and, by the end of his career, he had stretched that winning streak to 33.[17]

1976 – First Wimbledon title

In early 1976, Borg won the World Championship Tennis year-end 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, and in the 1976 quarterfinals. 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). Năstase later said, "We're playing tennis, he's playing something else." Borg also reached the final of the 1976 U.S. Open, which was then being played on clay courts. Borg lost in four sets to world no. 1 Jimmy Connors. Borg was awarded the ATP Player of the Year award and ranked world No. 1 by Tennis Magazine (France).[18]

1977 – Second Wimbledon title and world No.1 ranking

In February 1977 World Championship Tennis (WCT) sued Borg and his management company IMG claiming that Borg had committed a breach of contract by electing to participate in the competing 1977 Grand Prix circuit instead of the WCT circuit. Borg eventually played, and won, a single WCT event, the Monte Carlo WCT.[19][20] An out-of-court settlement was reached whereby Borg committed to play six or eight WCT events in 1978 which were then part of the Grand Prix circuit.[21]

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 in five sets.[22] In the 1977 final Borg was pushed to five sets for the third time in the tournament, this time by Connors.[23] The win propelled Borg to the No. 1 ranking in the ATP point system, albeit for just one week in August. Prior to the 1977 US Open, Borg aggravated a shoulder injury while waterskiing with Vitas Gerulaitis. This injury ultimately forced him to retire from the Open during a Round of 16 match vs Dick Stockton.[24] Borg was rated number one for 1977 by Tennis Magazine (France),[25] Tennis Magazine (U.S.),[26] Barry Lorge,[27] Lance Tingay,[28] Rino Tommasi,[29] Judith Elian[30] and Rod Laver.[31] Borg was also named "ATP Player of the Year".[32] Through 1977, he had never lost to a player younger than himself.

1978 – French and Wimbledon titles

Borg was at the height of his career from 1978 through 1980, completing the 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, 2010, 2017 and 2020) have accomplished at the French Open during the open era. Borg defeated Connors in straight sets in the 1978 Wimbledon final. At the 1978 US Open, now held on hard courts in Flushing Meadow, New York, he lost the final in straight sets to Connors. Borg was suffering from a bad blister on his thumb that required pre-match injections.[33] That autumn, Borg faced John McEnroe for the first time in a semifinal of the Stockholm Open, and lost. Borg was named ATP Player of the Year[34] and was the first ITF World Champion.[35]

1979 – French and Wimbledon titles and year-end No. 1 ranking

Borg playing a double-handed backhand shot at the 1979 ABN World Tennis Tournament
Borg (left) playing against John McEnroe in 1979

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 1979 French Open, Borg defeated big-serving Victor Pecci in a four-set final, and in the 1979 Wimbledon final Borg came from behind 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. He then beat Gerulaitis in straight sets, winning his first Masters and first title in New York. Borg finished the year at No. 1 in the ATP Point rankings and was considered the No. 1 player in the world by most authorities.[34][35]

1980 – French and fifth consecutive Wimbledon title

In June, Borg overcame Gerulaitis, again in straight sets, for his fifth French Open title. Again, he did not drop a set during the tournament.[36]

Borg then won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, defeating McEnroe in a five-set final, often cited as the best Wimbledon final ever played.[37][38] Having lost the opening set to an all-out McEnroe assault, Borg took the next two and had two championship points at 5–4 in the fourth. However, McEnroe averted disaster and went on to level the match in Wimbledon's most memorable tiebreaker, which McEnroe won 18–16. In the fourth-set tiebreak, McEnroe saved five match points, and Borg six set points, before McEnroe won the set.[38] Björn served first to begin the 5th set and fell behind 0–30. Borg then won 19 straight points on serve in the deciding set and prevailed after 3 hours, 53 minutes.[37] 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.[38][39]

In September, 1980 Borg reached the final of the U.S. Open for the third time, losing to John McEnroe in five sets in a match that cemented what had become the greatest contemporary rivalry, albeit short-lived, in men's tennis.

He defeated McEnroe in the final of the 1980 Stockholm Open, and faced him one more time that year, in the round-robin portion of the year-end Masters, actually 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. Borg then defeated Ivan Lendl for his second Masters title.[38] Borg again finished the year at No. 1 in the ATP Point Rankings and was considered the No. 1 player in the world by most tennis authorities.[34][35]

1981 – Sixth and final French Open title

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 Grand Slam titles was a record bettered only by Rafael Nadal in 2012.

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 none, before coming back to win the match. However, Borg's streak was brought to an end by McEnroe, who defeated him in four sets. Years afterward, Borg remarked "And when I lost what shocked me was I wasn't even upset. That was not me: losing a Wimbledon final and not upset. I hate to lose." Borg around that time felt that his desire to play was gone, despite McEnroe's desperate efforts to persuade him not to retire and continue their rivalry.[39]

Borg went on to lose to McEnroe at the 1981 US Open. After that defeat, Borg walked off the court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun, and headed straight for the airport.[38][39] There are reports that Borg received threats after his semifinal win over Connors. In later years, Borg apologized to McEnroe. The 1981 US Open would be the Swede's last Grand Slam final. Major tournaments and tour organizers were enforcing a new rule; by 1982, that players had to play at least 10 official tournaments per year. However, Borg wanted to curtail his schedule after many years of winning so often. Although he felt in good condition physically, he recognized that the relentless drive to win and defy tour organizers had begun to fade.[39]

Borg failed to win the US Open in nine tries, losing four finals, 1976 (the surface was clay that year) and 1978 to Jimmy Connors, and 1980 and 1981 to John McEnroe. The surface was hard court from 1978 onward and Borg reached the final there on hard court on three occasions, in 1978, 1980 and 1981. He led 3–2 in the fifth set of the 1980 final, before losing. That match followed Borg's classic encounter with McEnroe at the 1980 Wimbledon. In 1978, 1979 and 1980, Borg 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 Meadows, the left-handed Roscoe Tanner being his conqueror in 1979.

1982–91 – Retirement

Borg as a sports commentator at the French Open in 1983
Borg in 1987

In 1982, Borg played only one tournament, losing to Yannick Noah in the quarterfinals of Monte Carlo in April. 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. He did, however, play Monte Carlo again in March 1983, reaching the second round, and Stuttgart in July 1984.[40]

Upon retirement, Borg had three residences: a penthouse in Monte Carlo, not far from his pro shop; a mansion on Long Island, New York and a small island off the Swedish coast.

Borg later bounced back as the owner of the Björn Borg fashion label. In Sweden, his label has become very successful, second only to Calvin Klein.[39][41]

Attempted comeback

In 1991–1993, Borg attempted a comeback on the men's professional tennis tour, coached by Welsh karate expert Ron Thatcher. Before his 1991 return, Borg grew his hair out as it had been during his previous professional tennis career and he returned to using a wooden racket; he had kept his hair cut and used modern graphite rackets in exhibitions he played during the late 1980s. Borg, however, failed to win a single match. He faced Jordi Arrese in his first match back, again at Monte Carlo but without practising or playing any exhibition matches and fell in two sets. In his first nine matches, played in 1991 and 1992, Borg failed to win a single set. He fared slightly better in 1993, taking a set off his opponent in each of the three matches he played. He came closest to getting a win in what turned out to be his final tour match, falling to second seed Alexander Volkov 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9) at the 1993 Kremlin Cup in Moscow.[42]

In 1992 Borg, aged 35, using a graphite racket, defeated John Lloyd, 37, at the Inglewood Forum Tennis Challenge. Borg later joined the Champions tour, returning to shorter hair and using modern rackets.

Playing style

Borg in 1991

Borg had one of the most distinctive playing styles in the Open Era.[43] He played from the baseline, with powerful ground-strokes. His highly unorthodox backhand involved taking his racket back with both hands but actually generating his power with his dominant right hand, letting go of the grip with his left hand around point of contact, and following through with his swing as a one-hander.[44] He hit the ball hard and high from the back of the court and brought it down with considerable topspin, which made his ground strokes very consistent.[45] There had been other players, particularly Rod Laver and Arthur Ashe, who played with topspin on both the forehand and backhand, yet Laver and Ashe used topspin only as a way to mix up their shots to pass their opponents at the net easily. Borg was one of the first top players to use heavy topspin on his shots consistently.[43]

Complementing his consistent ground-strokes was his fitness. Both of these factors allowed Borg to be dominant at the French Open.[46]

One of the factors that made Borg unique was his dominance on the grass courts of Wimbledon, where, since World War II, baseliners did not usually succeed. Some experts attributed his dominance on this surface to his consistency, an underrated serve, equally underrated volleys, and his adaptation to grass courts. Against the best players, he almost always served-and-volleyed on his first serves, while he naturally played from the baseline after his second serves.[46][47]

Another trait usually associated with Borg was his grace under pressure. His calm court demeanor earned him the nickname of the "Ice Man" or "Ice-Borg."[48]

Borg's physical conditioning was unrivalled by contemporaries. He could outlast most of his opponents under the most grueling conditions. Contrary to popular belief, however, this was not due to his exceptionally low resting heart rate, often reported to be near 35 beats per minute. In his introduction to Borg's autobiography My Life and Game, Eugene Scott relates that this rumor arose from a medical exam the 18-year-old Borg once took for military service, where his pulse was recorded as 38. Scott goes on to reveal Borg's true pulse rate as "about 50 when he wakes up and around 60 in the afternoon."[49] Borg is credited with helping to develop the style of play that has come to dominate the game today.[47]

Mental approach

Borg's first wife has said that he was "always very placid and calm, except if he lost a match – he wouldn't talk for at least three days. He couldn't stand losing."[50] This mental approach changed by 1981, when he has said that when he lost the Wimbledon final "what shocked me was I wasn't even upset."[51]

Personal life

Borg and Simionescu in Snagov, Romania, on 24 July 1980

Borg and Romanian tennis pro Mariana Simionescu began their relationship in 1976[50] and married in Bucharest on 24 July 1980.[52] The marriage ended in divorce in 1984. He fathered a son named Robin in 1985 with the Swedish model Jannike Björling; Robin had a daughter in 2014. Borg was married to the Italian singer Loredana Bertè from 1989 to 1993.[39] On 8 June 2002, he married his third wife, Patricia Östfeld. Together they have a son, Leo, born in 2003, who is also a professional tennis player.[53][54]

He narrowly avoided personal bankruptcy when business ventures failed.[55][56] After selling his mansion Astaholm at Ingarö in the Stockholm archipelago in 2019, Björn currently lives in an apartment in Norrmalm, central Stockholm[57] with Ace of Base star Ulf Ekberg as one of his neighbours.[58][59]

Film

In 2017, Borg vs McEnroe, a biographical film focusing on the rivalry between Borg and McEnroe and the 1980 Wimbledon final, was released. In 2022, interviews about this friendship and rivalry were also featured in "McEnroe," a Showtime documentary.

Memorabilia preserved

In March 2006, Bonhams Auction House in London announced that it would auction Borg's Wimbledon trophies and two of his winning rackets on 21 June 2006.[60] Several players then called Borg in an attempt to make him reconsider, including Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi, who volunteered to buy them to keep them together. According to Dagens Nyheter – who had talked to Borg – McEnroe called Borg from New York and asked, "What's up? Have you gone mad?" and said "What the hell are you doing?"[61] The conversation with McEnroe, paired with pleas from Connors and Agassi, eventually persuaded Borg to buy out the trophies from Bonhams for an undisclosed amount.[39]

Distinctions and honors

Recognition

Borg in 2013

With 11 Grand Slam titles, Borg ranks sixth in the list of male tennis players who have won the most Grand Slam singles titles behind Rafael Nadal (22), Novak Djokovic (21), Roger Federer (20), Pete Sampras (14) and Roy Emerson (12). The French Open—Wimbledon double he achieved three times consecutively was described by Wimbledon officials as "the most difficult double in tennis".[64][65] Only Nadal (in 2008 and 2010), Federer (in 2009), and Djokovic (in 2021) have managed to achieve this double since, and Andre Agassi, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are the only male players since Borg to have won the French Open and Wimbledon men's singles titles over their career. Ilie Năstase once said about Borg, "We're playing tennis, and he's playing something else". Borg is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.[66][67][4] In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, had already included Borg in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time. And in 2003, Bud Collins chose Borg as one of his top-five male players of all time.[68] In 1983 Fred Perry listed his greatest male players of all time and listed them in two categories, before World War 2 and after. Perry's modern best behind Laver: "Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Hoad, Jack Kramer, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, Manuel Santana".[69] In 1988, a panel consisting of Bud Collins, Cliff Drysdale, and Butch Buchholz ranked their top five male tennis players of all time. Buchholz and Drysdale both listed Borg number two on their lists, behind Rod Laver. Collins listed Borg number five behind Laver, McEnroe, Rosewall and Gonzales.[70]

In 2008, ESPN.com asked tennis analysts, writers, and former players to build the perfect open-era player. Borg was the only player mentioned in four categories: defense, footwork, intangibles, and mental toughness—with his mental game and footwork singled out as the best in open-era history.[71]

Borg never won the US Open, losing in the final four times. Borg also did not win the Australian Open, which he only played once in 1974 as a 17-year-old. The only players to defeat Borg in a Grand Slam final were fellow World No. 1 tennis players John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Even though it was then played on grass, a surface where he enjoyed much success, Borg chose to play the Australian Open only once, in 1974, where he lost in the third round. Phil Dent, a contemporary of Borg, has pointed out that skipping Grand Slam tournaments—especially the Australian Open—was not unusual then, before counting Grand Slam titles became the norm.[72] Additionally, another contemporary Arthur Ashe told Sports Illustrated, "I think Bjorn could have won the US Open. I think he could have won the Grand Slam, but by the time he left, the historical challenge didn't mean anything. He was bigger than the game. He was like Elvis or Liz Taylor or somebody."[73]

Laver Cup

From 22 to 24 September 2017, Borg was the victorious captain of Team Europe in the first-ever edition of the Laver Cup, held in Prague, Czech Republic. Borg's Team Europe defeated a rest of the world team, known as Team World, who were coached by Borg's old rival, John McEnroe. Europe won the contest 15 points to 9, with Roger Federer achieving a narrow vital victory over Nick Kyrgios in the last match played.[74]

Borg returned as the coach of Team Europe for the second edition in Chicago, Illinois from 21 to 23 September 2018. McEnroe also returned as the coach for Team World. Borg again led Europe to victory as Alexander Zverev defeated Kevin Anderson to secure the title 13–8, after trailing Anderson in the match tiebreak until the last few points.[75]

In the tournament's third edition, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 20 to 22 September 2019, Borg captained Team Europe to a third consecutive victory, defeating McEnroe's Team World 13 points to 11, with Zverev again winning the deciding match.[76]

The fourth edition was held in Boston from 24 to 26 September 2021, having had its original September 2020 date postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Borg once again returned as captain of Team Europe, which had a resounding win over Team World, defeating McEnroe's players 14 to 1.[77]

Career statistics

Main article: Björn Borg career statistics

Singles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A 3R A A A A A A A A 0 / 1 1–1 50.00
French Open A 4R W W QF A W W W W 6 / 8 49–2 96.08
Wimbledon A QF 3R QF W W W W W F 5 / 9 51–4 92.73
US Open PR* 4R 2R SF F 4R F QF F F 0 / 10 40–10 80.00
Win–loss 0–1 10–3 11–3 16–2 17–2 10–1 20–1 18–1 20–1 19–2 11 / 28 141–17 89.24
Year-end championship
The Masters[a] A A RR F A F A W W A 2 / 5 16–6 72.72
WCT Finals A A F F W A SF F A A 1 / 5 10–3 76.92
Year-end ranking 18 3 3 2 3 2 1 1 4 $3,655,751
  • The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Borg did not play in either.
  • The 1972 US Open had a special preliminary round before the main 128 player draw began.

Records

Main article: All-time tennis records – men's singles
  • These records were attained in the entire period of tennis from 1877.[78]
  • Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
  • ^ Denotes consecutive streak.

All-time records

Tournament Since Record accomplished Players matched References
Grand Slam 1972 86.96% (20–3) five set match record Stands alone
Grand Slam 1977 3 consecutive Channel Slams, French Open + Wimbledon (1978–80) ^ Stands alone [79]
Grand Slam 1977 Grand Slam title won (1978 French Open) with fewest games lost (32) Stands alone [80]
Wimbledon 1977 92.73% (51–4) match win percentage Stands alone [81]
Wimbledon 1977 41 consecutive match wins Stands alone [81]

Open Era records

Main article: Open Era tennis records – men's singles
  • These records were attained in the Open Era period of tennis from 1968.
  • Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
  • ^ Denotes consecutive streak.

Professional awards

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Masters tournaments for 1977, 1979 and 1980 were actually held in January of the following year. In this table, however, the year of the tournament is listed for the preceding year.
  2. ^ The existing Major champions Borg defeated were Guillermo Vilas (1978 French Open), Ilie Năstase (1976 Wimbledon), Jimmy Connors (1977 & 1978 Wimbledon), Roscoe Tanner (1979 Wimbledon), Vitas Gerulaitis (1980 French Open) and John McEnroe (1980 Wimbledon). These champions were competing on the tour at the same time, after Borg had defeated all 6 of them in Major finals, and not retired.

References

  1. ^ "THE 50 GREATEST PLAYERS OF THE OPEN ERA". 2 March 2018.
  2. ^ "1980: THE FIVE-SET FINAL BETWEEN BJORN BORG AND JOHN MCENROE WAS THE PINNACLE OF THEIR RIVALRY—AND THE WOODSTOCK OF THEIR TENNIS ERA". 20 June 2022.
  3. ^ Douglas Robson (25 May 2006). "Borg still making the shots". USA Today.
  4. ^ a b Pears, Tim (5 June 2005). "When he was king". The Guardian. London.
  5. ^ "CNN.com Video". CNN.
  6. ^ "Björn Borg är bäst av dem alla". DN.SE. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  7. ^ Sam Pollak (28 December 1972). "Californian tires at end, loses to Sweden's Borg". The Miami News.
  8. ^ Jim Martz (25 May 2008). "Orange Bowl Celebrates 60th Anniversary". usta.com. USTA.
  9. ^ a b John Barrett, ed. (1974). World of Tennis '74. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 330, 331. ISBN 9780362001686.
  10. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1974). World of Tennis '74. London: Queen Anne. pp. 15–17, 30–32, 45–47. ISBN 978-0362001686.
  11. ^ "ATP Singles Ranking". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
  12. ^ "Sports Whirl". The Virgin Islands Daily News. Associated Press. 17 January 1974. p. 23 – via Google News Archive.
  13. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1975). World of Tennis '75: a BP and Commercial Union yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 75–78. ISBN 9780362002171.
  14. ^ "Borg Surprises Nastase for Title". Schenectady Gazette. 4 June 1974.
  15. ^ "Tireless Borg halts Nastase for crown". The St. Petersburg Times. 4 June 1974.
  16. ^ "Borg's second French win". The Canberra Times. Vol. 49, no. 14, 094. 17 June 1975. p. 13 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Davis Cup – Baghdatis breaks Borg's record in Europe Zone Group III". 3 March 2016.
  18. ^ Tennis Magazine (France) (March 1977)
  19. ^ "W.C.T. Sues Borg and Colgate, Alleging a Breach of Contract". The New York Times. 4 February 1977.
  20. ^ "Borg Being Sued". Ludington Daily News. 2 February 1977.
  21. ^ Barry Lorge (13 April 1978). "Peace Still Eludes Men's Pro Tennis". The Washington Post.
  22. ^ "Classic Matches: Borg v Gerulaitis", BBC Sport, 31 May 2004
  23. ^ "Bjorn Borg wins thrilling final". The Canberra Times. Vol. 51, no. 14, 819. 4 July 1977. p. 14 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Head 2 Head: Dick Stockton vs Bjorn Borg". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  25. ^ Tennis Magazine (France) (March 1978)
  26. ^ Tennis Magazine US ranking
  27. ^ "Borg gets nod as tennis player of '77". The Washington Post. 10 January 1978.
  28. ^ Barrett, John, ed. (1990). World Of Tennis. London: Collins Willow. pp. 235–237. ISBN 9780002183550.
  29. ^ Almanacco illustrato del tennis 1989, Edizioni Panini, p.694
  30. ^ Quidet, Christian (1989). La Fabuleuse Histoire du Tennis (in French). Paris: Nathan. p. 772. ISBN 9782092864388.
  31. ^ Terry Belford (8 July 1978). "Money aside, Major, who are the very best?". The Montreal Gazette. p. 114.
  32. ^ "Tennis pros cite Borg, Gullikson". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 13 September 1977. p. 2, part 2.
  33. ^ "Hot Connors blisters Borg". Chicago Tribune. 11 September 1978.
  34. ^ a b c "ATP Awards Honour Roll | ATP Tour | Tennis". Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Retrieved 9 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ a b c "ITF World Champions". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 18 November 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ "Borg wins French Open". The Canberra Times. Vol. 54, no. 16, 329. 10 June 1980. p. 24 – via National Library of Australia.
  37. ^ a b "Aftonbladet sport: Århundradets Sport". Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  38. ^ a b c d e Sveriges Radio (12 January 2007). "Klassiska referat: Tennis". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g Adams, Tim (7 January 2007). "'I can't explain except to say I wanted to play again. It was madness'". The Observer. London. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  40. ^ "Borg Loses, 6–3 6–1, in Limited Return". The New York Times. 18 July 1984. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  41. ^ "Index of /en". Bjornborg.com. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  42. ^ "Bjorn Borg". geneticmatrix.com. Genetic Matrix. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  43. ^ a b Jonas Arnesen (27 June 2013). "Borg ser tillbaka på sin tennisrevolution". SvD.se. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  44. ^ Aanalys av bra spelares teknik – Slagproffset Retrieved 2 July 2015
  45. ^ "Wimbledon legends: Bjorn Borg". BBC Sport. 31 May 2004. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  46. ^ a b "Johan Esk: Han är solklar etta på 150-listan". DN.SE. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  47. ^ a b "Största ögonblicket i idrottshistorien..." Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  48. ^ Hodgkinson, Mark (25 October 2007). "Bjorn Borg: My life is perfect". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  49. ^ Borg, Björn, and Eugene L. Scott. My Life and Game (1980), page 11
  50. ^ a b Robertson, Peter (22 September 2017). "Bjorn Borg's ex says ace was the love of her life as McEnroe clash film released". Daily Mirror.
  51. ^ Adams, Tim (7 January 2007). "'I can't explain except to say I wanted to play again. It was madness'". The Guardian.
  52. ^ "TENNIS Bjorn Borg weds in Bucharest". The Canberra Times. Vol. 54, no. 16, 374. 25 July 1980. p. 18 – via National Library of Australia.
  53. ^ "Hello!". us.hellomagazine.com. Hello! Magazine. 10 June 2002.
  54. ^ "Leo Borg är Sveriges bästa 14-åring: "Riktigt intressant"". Aftonbladet. 9 January 2018.
  55. ^ Campbell, Duncan (4 March 2006). "Borg trophies sale highlights aces and double faults of tennis stars". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  56. ^ "Borg Bankruptcy Sought". The New York Times. 24 October 1996. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  57. ^ "Björn Borgs drömkåk – mitt i stan: "Vad kan gå fel med den här utsikten"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  58. ^ "Svenska profilerna i exklusiva kändishuset". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  59. ^ "Björn Borg's wife shows the private picture". 8 January 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  60. ^ "Borg to auction off Wimbledon trophies". Usatoday.com. 3 March 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  61. ^ "McEnroe fick Borg på andra tankar". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 28 March 2006. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  62. ^ "Sports Personality: The winners". BBC Sport. 10 December 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  63. ^ Esk, Johan (23 December 2014). "Björn Borg är bäst av dem alla". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  64. ^ a b Atkin, Ronald. "Wimbledon Legends – Bjorn Borg". Wimbledon.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  65. ^ "Strokes for Agassi: He belongs among the 10 greatest ever", Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 September 2006
  66. ^ Tennis magazine ranked Borg the second best male player of the period 1965–2005.
  67. ^ "Bjorn Borg – Top 10 Men's Tennis Players of All Time". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  68. ^ "Top Stars of Tennis", Bud Collins, MSNBC
  69. ^ "The Miami Herald, 25 April 1983". newspapers.com.
  70. ^ "The Miami News, 10 March 1988". newspapers.com.
  71. ^ "ESPN.com – Tennis – The Perfect Player". Sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  72. ^ Bonnie DeSimoneArchive (26 May 2007). "Chris Evert owned Roland Garros like no other". Sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  73. ^ Curry Kirkpatrick (6 May 1991). "Unbjorn". Vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  74. ^ "2017 Results & Leaderboard | Scores & Results". Laver Cup. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  75. ^ "2018 Results & Leaderboard | Scores & Results". Laver Cup. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  76. ^ "2019 Results & Leaderboard | Scores & Results". Laver Cup. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  77. ^ "Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup". ESPN.com. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  78. ^ "All time records excluding exhibitions and challengers". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  79. ^ Newman, Paul. "A history of Paris-Wimbledon double". wimbledon.com. Lawn Tennis Association. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  80. ^ Garcia, Gabriel. "All Time Records: Title Grand Slam Tournament Won With Least Games Lost". app.thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  81. ^ a b "Bjorn Borg Inductee". tennisfame.com. Tennis Hall Fame, Newport , USA. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  82. ^ "Performance Career Grand Slams From All Countries". ATP Tour. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  83. ^ "Djokovic Completes Historic Two-Set Comeback In Roland Garros Final". Association of Tennis Professionals. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  84. ^ "Record Breakers". RolandGarros.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  85. ^ "Wimbledon – Championships History". Wimbledon.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  86. ^ a b c Peick, Sean (12 January 2010). "Roger Federer Not Quite Yet Greatest Champion in Records of Wimbledon History". NESN. Retrieved 20 June 2012. Borg has his own impressive list of Wimbledon achievements – five consecutive titles (a record shared with Federer) from 1976 to 1980 followed up by a loss in the 1981 final, 41 consecutive matches won (a record he holds himself) and a mind-boggling career record of 51–4 for a winning percentage of .927 (also a record).
  87. ^ Lynch, Steven (18 April 2015). "Ask Steven: Has anyone since Bjorn Borg won Wimbledon without losing a set?". ESPN. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  88. ^ "Performance Career Versus Top Ten From All Countries". ATP Tour. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  89. ^ "Bjorn Borg Player Profile – Activity". ITF Tennis. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  90. ^ "Bjorn Borg Davis Cup Player Profile – Results". Davis Cup. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  91. ^ "Comparison at the Age of 25". rogerfederer.com. Official Roger Federer Website. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  92. ^ "Rafael Nadal – Career Highlights". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 14 June 2012. 2006 – Tied Borg with his 16th career teenage title in Rome, most in Open Era.
  93. ^ "Performance Career 5th Set Record From All Countries". ATP Tour. Retrieved 16 March 2020.

Sources

  • Borg, Björn (1975). The Björn Borg Story. Chicago: H. Regnery Co. ISBN 0-8092-8184-8.
  • Borg, Björn; Eugene L. Scott (1980). My Life and Game. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-283-98663-8.
  • John Barrett, editor, World of Tennis Yearbooks, London, from 1976 through 1983.
  • Michel Sutter, Vainqueurs Winners 1946–2003, Paris, 2003. Sutter has attempted to list all tournaments meeting his criteria for selection beginning with 1946 and ending in the fall of 1991. For each tournament, he has indicated the city, the date of the final, the winner, the runner-up, and the score of the final. A tournament is included in his list if: (1) the draw for the tournament included at least eight players (with a few exceptions, such as the Pepsi Grand Slam tournaments in the second half of the 1970s which included only players that had won a Grand Slam tournament); and (2) the level of the tournaments was at least equal to the present day challenger tournaments. Sutter's book is probably the most exhaustive source of tennis tournament information since World War II, even though some professional tournaments held before the start of the open era are missing. Later, Sutter issued a second edition of his book, with only the players, their wins, and years for the 1946 through 27 April 2003, period.

Video

  • The Wimbledon Collection – Legends of Wimbledon – Bjorn Borg Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 21 September 2004, Run Time: 52 minutes, ASIN: B0002HODA4.
  • The Wimbledon Collection – The Classic Match – Borg vs. McEnroe 1981 Final Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 21 September 2004, Run Time: 210 minutes, ASIN: B0002HODAE.
  • The Wimbledon Collection – The Classic Match – Borg vs. McEnroe 1980 Final Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 21 September 2004, Run Time: 240 minutes; ASIN: B0002HOEK8.
  • Wimbledon Classic Match: Gerulaitis vs Borg Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 31 October 2006, Run Time: 180 minutes, ASIN: B000ICLR8O.
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