Bjorn Borg

Many people have heroes in their lives and they only can dream about meeting them. Others have the rarest of opportunities of being able to not only meet their heroes, but also interact with them on a personal basis.

I have been a tennis fan for many years and have seen many of the great ones in person. Players like Laver, Connors, Rosewall, etc. But no player ever struck my fancy more than Bjorn Borg. He had an incredibly cool and almost impervious demeanor, which belied his tremendous success on the court.

Borg’s career began in earnest in the spring of 1972 when, at the age of 15, he played Davis Cup for Sweden and helped them defeat New Zealand in a close match. I have no recollection of that win, but I do remember his dramatic 1975 Davis Cup win against Jan Kodes of Czechoslovakia to clinch the Davis Cup for his country.

Borg’s career was incredibly short for his successes. He was at his peak between August 1977 and July 1981 when he was number one in the world.

He won the French Open in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981, but he is probably best remembered for winning Wimbledon five years in a row starting in 1976. In 1980 he played one of the greatest matches of all time, defeating John McEnroe in the final.

Borg’s game was characterized by consistent topspin groundstrokes with a two-handed backhand.

His legacy as a player in Sweden is monumental, where he helped to spark a tennis boom that led to the great careers of the likes of Mats Wilandar, Stephan Edberg and Thomas Nquist.

But I remember Borg more from my personal interaction with him in 1999 when I had the opportunity to play ten points against him at the Central Park tennis courts in New York City. A friend of mine helped to arrange the “match” and I actually won one point against the Great One. He barely looked at me during our fifteen or so minutes on the court, but was certainly affable enough after we played. I have never forgotten those fifteen minutes and oftentimes when I am playing tennis now, picture my opponent as Borg. It was a memory that I will never forget and a favor that Borg didn’t have to accede to, but did because he was a gentleman first and a great player second. No one ever saw Borg take out a bad call on the referees like a McEnroe, Jimmy Connors or Ilie Nastase. If he got a bad call, he accepted it and went on with the match.

Borg retired early in life and many say he retired because he didn’t feel that he would ever be able to fully conquer McEnroe, who holds a career edge against him. Whatever the reason, thanks for the memories, Bjorn. And more importantly, thanks for giving me those fifteen minutes of fame.