Legend of Tennis: Bjorn Borg
Bjorn Borg, born in Sweden in June 1956, was a World No. 1 player from 1974-1981. Borg was a clay court master and had the looks of a rock star along with long blond hair which earned him a lot of fame among fans. He effectively
applied a deceptive serve as well as double handed backhand shot to surprise his opponents. He is often described as the greatest tennis player.
Bjorn Borg turned professional in 1973 and went on to win 11 Grand Slam titles in his career defeating the very best in the business. During his short professional career he made great achievements, winning 90 percent of the Grand
Slam matches he participated in.
The Swedish star competed in eight Roland Garros Championships from 1973 to 1981 and won six of them with a winning percentage of 96, making him the only player to do so in tennis history. The Swede had his first success at the
French Open when he was only eighteen. He won red clay French Open Tournament for four consecutive years a record that he shares with current French Open Champion and World No, 1 Rafael Nadal. Bjorn was only 25 years old when he featured in his last French
Open.
Likewise Bjorn Borg’s Wimbledon record is also astonishing, winning 5 championship trophies successively from 1976-1980. His first win in the prestigious tournament came on the 4th attempt in 1976 when he destroyed his
opponent IIie Nastase 6-4, 6-2, 9-7 in straight sets. He defeated former No. 1 Jimmy Connors twice in the final of Wimbledon championships which was remarkable achievement of that time. Legendary Bjorn is the first of only two players who won the Premier British
Tennis competition back to back five times, second being Roger Federer.
Bjorn Borg was unable to win a title in New York at the US Open, an area where he disappointed his fans the most. Although Bjorn played in US Open for nine years consecutively from 1973-1981, he never managed to taste success in
the heart of New York City. The Swede reached the final of US Open for four times but surprisingly never went on to win the tournament during his nine year struggle. According to most tennis analysts Borg was unable to storm the big apple with supreme confidence
in a city where tennis was played under lights with the crowd supporting the local boys.
The rock star appeared only once at the Australian Open title in 1974 where he was dismissed in the fourth round. Back in those days the competition was held on grass courts, unlike the modern artificial courts and was also the
last tournament of the year being played in December. Unable to win the US Open, Bjorn was never charged up for the Australian Open as his interest was to win the calendar year slam.
Bjorn Borg played only one tournament in 1982 where he lost to Yannick Noah in the quarterfinal; he later announced his retirement in 1983 to shock the Tennis world when he was only 26. He was also scandalized for drugs overdose
and attempted suicide after retirement, both of which he denies. Tennis sensation attempted a return to the international arena but was unsuccessful losing all the matches he played. In 1993 he retired from the ATP for good and started playing on the senior
tour.
Effortless Bjorn is the only tennis player to achieve the “French Open-Wimbledon double” three times consecutively, a feat that is considered to be impossible among the modern tennis players. His remarkable achievements on the
court have made him a legend of the game.
Tags: