The great Bjorn Borg being tamed through history
When thinking about the great tennis champions of the past one of the names that pops up in one’s head is of the great Bjorn Borg. Now he was what we call a winner of his time. Even though his reign was short lived, he managed to achieve records which are still remembered in the history of tennis.
Borg is the former world number one of his time. This amazing player from Sweden won ninety percent of the Grand Slam tournaments he had entered, which included five consecutive wins at Wimbledon from 1976 to 1980. This was a record winning, as no other player had achieved such a victory and no other player has been able to break this record, except for the Swiss player Roger Federer who has managed to come to a tie with Borg. Borg also won four consecutive French Open singles titles, which is a record which has only now been tied by the Spanish player, Rafael Nadal. With a total of eleven Grand Slam titles, Borg has indeed been one of the greatest players of all time.
How did this great player evolve? Naturally he would have been under very strict training and must have been a very obedient student early in his life, which may have gotten him this far. However, it did not quite go like this from the start. In an interview with BBC the champion talks about his past and reveals the truth. He was never the obedient type and was more of a rebel. Growing up, Borg was extremely short-tempered. When he was 11 years old he used to play for his hometown tennis club and was known to be one wild child.
Borg used to express his anger openly and violently. He swore, threw around racquets, got into frequent fights – basically he did everything that would get a child into trouble. That day wasn’t too far for young Borg, as his parents were soon called for a meeting at the academy. As the coach showered Borg’s parents with complaints about his bad behaviour, they were also told that Borg had been suspended from the academy for six months.
This was an embarrassment for Borg’s parents but what was worse is that it left Borg completely sad and disappointed. He admits to it himself that those six months were an extremely difficult period for him. He had been banned from playing tennis, which he loved to do; why wouldn’t he have been upset?
This suspension was a lesson for the young Bjorn Borg and it was a lesson learnt well. When he returned to the academy he did not dare to open his mouth fearing that something he might say would go against him. He was now there for the sole purpose of playing tennis because tennis was his passion. His love for the game helped him avoid the rude and obnoxious behaviour that had gotten him kicked out for six months. This Borg was not willing to suffer another suspension and kept all his anger and feelings to himself and was now only focused on making his way to the top in the professional world of tennis.
Winning was the only thing on Borg’s mind now. His dream since his childhood had been to win at Wimbledon but little did the tennis star know that not only would he win the Wimbledon title but he would be setting records at Wimbledon. Walking away with his fifth consecutive title at Wimbledon in 1980 was the best thing that had ever happened to this amazing tennis champion. He admits to it himself that winning at Wimbledon is the most wonderful feeling any tennis player can feel.
Bjorn Borg practiced endlessly to get to the top and stayed there for quite some time. He says that he always worried that an outburst of emotion might get him suspended again, so he always remained serious while playing and learnt to play under pressure which improved his game tremendously. The suspension really tamed down Borg and helped him excel in the world of tennis.
Who knew that keeping Bjorn Borg away from tennis for only six months as a punishment for bad behaviour was what made him into a tennis champion the world will never forget.
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