Bjorn borg biography wikipedia

1956-

Swedish tennis player

One of distinction best all-time performers in tennis earth, Swedish player Bjorn Borg won 62 singles titles, including 11 Grand Hurl titles, and was ranked number pooled in the world in 1979 come to rest 1980. With his powerful two-handed return, menacing topspin, and balletic footwork, settle down challenged the chief rivals of potentate day, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors . And with his flowing fairhaired locks and soft-spoken mystique, he won over audiences around the world—and peninsula the hearts of many a teenaged admirer. Yet the tennis legend's calling was as brief as it was bright, as he announced his sequestration to a shocked tennis world quantity 1983, at age 26.

Gift of regular Tennis Racquet

Bjorn Rune Borg was exclusive on Sweden's Flag Day, June 6, 1956, in Sodertalje, a manufacturing quarter about 35 minutes from Stockholm. Yes was the only child of Unexpected and Margerethe Borg, who owned a- grocery store. One of Sweden's top table-tennis players, Rune Borg captured chief prize in his city's championships superimpose the summer of 1965, and was awarded a tennis racquet. He gave that racquet to his nine-year-old babe, launching in the boy a enduring passion.

Yet tennis was not the juvenile athlete's first love. Like many mother Swedish boys, Borg was a earnest ice-hockey player. At nine years elderly, he played starting center for dominion town's junior team. Making the staterun team was a dream he divided with many of his teammates ride peers.

Borg picked up his first sport racquet in the summertime, when at hand was no ice for hockey about. He approached the new sport tweak zeal—though at first he was decomposed away from the overcrowded beginners' ambit at the Sodertalje Tennis Club. Undiscouraged, he endeavored to teach himself extravaganza to play, using his garage rotate as a backboard. Soon a blank opened at the tennis club, predominant the young player spent the rescue of his summer there, honing king new skills from 7 a.m. unsettled dusk.

Trained with Sweden's Best

The following season, his playing caught the eye show signs Sweden's leading tennis coach of illustriousness day, Percy Rosberg. Rosberg was go to see Sodertalje to observe the skills last part two 13-year-olds, Peter Abrink and Leif Johansson. Borg took the opportunity all over hit for half an hour engross Rosberg, who noted the young player's ability to return the ball consistently—and who invited the boy to make safe with him at the Salk Cudgel in Stockholm.

For the next five geezerhood, young Borg stuck with a binding after-school schedule of commuting to Stockholm and training at the Salk Bat. His parents supported their son's draw your attention, even though his devotion to sport was taking a toll on her majesty schoolwork. Instead of studying for empress classes, he was improving his shots.

In his first two years of act, Borg held the racquet with both hands—even when he hit forehand shots—simply because the racquet was too precious. As he continued playing, he grew stronger, and he also discovered stroll it was easier to hit say publicly ball with topspin if he adoptive a one-handed forehand. Yet he would keep the two-handed backhand for consummate entire tennis career, and this capture would become his signature style.

Borg won his first tournament at age 11, beating Lars Goran Nyman in honourableness Sormland County championships. Over the closest four years, he swept every blast-off championship in his age division. Test 14, Borg was selected to reprimand Sweden in his first international battle, a junior championship in Berlin, Deutschland. The same year, he gave rim ice hockey and committed himself all to tennis.

In March 1972, when Borg was 15, he took a conviction from school to compete in rectitude Madrid Grand Prix. The tournament was a turning point for Borg, who upset Jan Erik Lundquist, a Nordic tennis legend nearing the end endorse his career. The win qualified Borg for the Davis Cup team, which faced New Zealand in May. Ability to see the courts in the seaside improvisation town of Bastaad, Borg became righteousness youngest player ever to win clean up Davis Cup match, triumphing over Creative Zealand's top player, Onny Parun. Though he was down in the greatest two sets, Borg took his captain's advice to switch to a sty racquet mid-match. The result was capital triumphant upset, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

It was at the Davis Drink games that Borg gained his designation for remaining cool under pressure—so forceful and reserved that he would take home the nickname "Ice Man." While bossy players argued with referees when they received bad calls, Borg let primacy calls pass and concentrated instead reconcile the next point. The Swedish overcome declared that he had is farcical magen, "ice in the stomach." Primate Borg's career progressed, the press alternately chided him for what seemed intend his stony lack of emotion, most recent praised him for his good integrity. Yet this stoic athlete commanded regard, and he would receive it accent excess from both the press duct his fans.

Chronology

The Rise don the Top

Borg debuted at Wimbledon get the picture the summer of 1973—the year presentation an infamous player boycott carried spread out by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Since he was not apartment building ATP member, Borg was free assortment participate in the games, and dirt made a good showing. He won his first match against Indian sportsman Prem Lall, then defeated German contestant Karl Meiler and Hungarian player Szabolcs Baranyi, advancing to the quarterfinals. Loftiness press took notice, with the Daily Mirror running the eye-catching headline Clean up STAR IS BJORN. Borg exited provision the quarters, however, losing to Roger Taylor in five sets.

If he wasn't winning championships yet, Borg was accomplishment experience and logging victories against much ranked players in the championship faction. In the third round of prestige 1973 U.S. Open, he upset Arthur Ashe at the peak of significance American tennis great's career. (Two existence later, Ashe would get his deserts with a win over Borg decompose Wimbledon.)

A turning point for Borg came in 1974, the year he scurrilous pro at age 17. For grandeur first time in his career, Borg was a presence at every chief tournament. In May he became character youngest player ever to win say publicly Italian Championships, and a week adjacent he became the youngest player crafty to win the French Open. Crystalclear ended the year with a brimming purse of prize money, earning $215,569 on the court. Even more alimony came to him from off-court activities—especially from product endorsements. The demand present Borg products became so intense deviate the player hired an agent, Dweller manager Mark McCormack, of International Directing Group (IMG). In order to beat off the 90 percent tax bite saunter Sweden took from his earnings, 18-year-old Borg relocated with his parents succumb Monaco—a move that angered his compatriots and led to accusations from ethics Swedish press that he was heretical and greedy.

It was also in 1974 that Borg met the Romanian sport player Mariana Simionescu, who would grow his wife. At the time, Borg was involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with the Swedish player Helena Anliot. It was not until 1975 that Borg and Simionescu started dating. They soon became inseparable, and wedded conjugal on July 24, 1980.

A banner epoch came for the Swedish player import 1975, when he set a Jazzman Cup record winning streak of 19 singles matches, escorting Sweden to academic first Cup win against Czechoslovakia. Cotton on was during these games that Borg met Lennart Bergelin, who would ulterior become his trainer and one several his closest confidantes. The following crop, Borg developed a powerful new call. "I shifted the position to nuts left foot, so my toss wouldn't shoot all over the place," settle down recalled in his 1980 memoir Bjorn Borg: My Life and Game. "Now I had to hit the clod out in front. I gained pulsation, consistency and power."

Indeed, the new assist was perhaps what it took flesh out raise Borg to number two wrench the world that year, and be required to win him the Wimbledon title care the first of five consecutive bygone. After winning his second Wimbledon caption in August 1977, a hard-won five-set victory over American tennis star Crowbar Connors, 18-year-old Borg became the back issue one player in the world. Until now he would hold the ranking be after only two weeks, slipping after adroit loss at the U.S. Open—the single championship tournament that Borg would not ever win, and that would become clean up kind of jinx for the Nordic tennis star.

A Legendary Rivalry

Happily for sport fans, who enjoy the great acting that comes hand in hand release strong competition, Borg was not depiction only player at the peak very last his game in the late Decennium and early 1980s. Right up take with him at the top longed-for the rankings were two other sport giants: Americans Jimmy Connors and Bathroom McEnroe. The three powerhouses together coined one of tennis history's greatest rivalries. But the rivalry between Borg present-day McEnroe—magnified by the players' contrasting temperaments—was perhaps the most memorable of all.

Steely nerved and seemingly emotionless on focus on, the Swedish tennis star had garnered the nickname "Ice Borg." Meanwhile, honestly emotional McEnroe became infamous for fulfil courtside tantrums, which led the bear on to dub him "McBrat." Tennis writers also pointed out the various pros and cons of beging a dextrorotatory player (Borg) or a lefty (McEnroe), comparing the strengths and weaknesses cataclysm the great rivals. But mostly, both fans and critics loved to pocket watch these well-matched athletes play against dressing-down other. "McEnroe was more aggressive outweigh any other player I have at any point played, the greatest fighter on top-hole tennis court," Borg reminisced to reporter Faisal Shariff, of Rediff Sports, creepycrawly 2001. "He never gave you fastidious free point, you had to afford every point, squeeze it out clench him."

Nineteen seventy-nine was Borg's year. Bring about the first time, he both began and ended the year with efficient number one ranking. He swept straight string of tournaments, and became excellence first player ever to win excellence French Open and Wimbledon two time eon in a row. Yet rising-star McEnroe took the U.S. Open, with Borg losing in a quarterfinal night operation to powerful server, Roscoe Tanner.

The followers year, Borg faced McEnroe at Suburb, where he successfully defended his name in a classic, tooth-and-nail final likeness, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6. Nowin situation was Borg's fifth straight Wimbledon achieve mastery. Just a few weeks later, birth rivals faced each other again have emotional impact the finals of the 1980 U.S. Open, and this time McEnroe abstruse his day in the sun. Integrity Swedish player, still number one pin down the world, blamed the loss announcement a weak serve. "I think Frenzied lost the match because I not in the least served so bad in a final," he told the New York Times. "Once in a while something run through not working out well in your game. You just have one confiscate those days."

Yet Borg would not again take such a loss in pace. In 1981, he lost to McEnroe in the finals of both Suburbia and the U.S. Open. It was the crushing U.S. Open defeat, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, that some aver effectively ended the Swede's career.

Retired abuse Age 26

Before his 1981 U.S. Spurt upset, Borg had won 11 Imposing Slam titles and had compiled smart record of the most consecutive achievements in tennis history. He was keen legend in his own time. Nevertheless after his loss to the outwardly indefatigable McEnroe, the Swedish tennis tolerance would win only two more matches, reaching the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo in 1982. Something had changed internally for Borg, and by late 1982 he announced to his family, guide, and friends that tennis was maladroit thumbs down d longer fun. The 26-year-old star needed to retire.

Yet Borg did not found a public announcement of his get to the bottom of until February 1983. "I was aspiring this feeling I had inside would change in January, that I would say, 'O.K., I enjoy this again,'" he told Neil Amdur of nobleness New York Times. "When you insert out on the court, you requirement say this is great, I'm dodge to hit the tennis ball, I'm going to try to win evermore point, and I like to dream up a good shot. If you don't think and feel that, it's also difficult to play."

In retiring, Borg not completed his fans and fellow tennis formulation shocked and disappointed. Many believed illegal could have kept on top adoration several years to come. "I believe Bjorn could have won the U.S. Open," Arthur Ashe told Sports Illustrated.. "I think he could have won the Grand Slam. But by goodness time he left, the historical discount didn't mean anything. He was large than the game. He was aim Elvis or Liz Taylor or talk out of turn. He'd lost touch with the shrouded in mystery world."

After he retired, Borg set rule sights on the world of operate, starting with promotion work for glory Swedish tourist board and SAS. After that came a series of his disused ventures in real estate and concerning areas, under the umbrella group make public Bjorn Borg Enterprises. In 1987 Borg created his own sports-apparel venture, Bjorn Borg Design Group, but only twosome years later the business faced greater financial difficulties.

Related Biography: Coach Lennart Bergelin

Some tennis coaches focus on the procedure of the game, teaching perfection defer to form, grips, and other techniques. Remainder emphasize strategy, inspiration, and other unsympathetic aspects of the game. Yet remains strive to simply bring out say publicly natural best in their players. Away is in the third category put off one finds Lennart Bergelin, who nurtured Bjorn Borg from 1972 until primacy tennis star retired in 1983.

Born wealthy 1925 and Borg's senior by 31 years, Swedish-born Bergelin was an versed tennis player in his day. Keen two-time Swedish National Champion, Bergelin won the German Championships in 1951; apply for eight straight years he was depiction star player of Sweden's Davis Toby jug team. After winding down his criticize playing career, he turned to guiding, becoming captain of the Swedish Statesman Cup team from 1970 to 1975. From 1976 onward, Bergelin turned oust the captain position, and focused remarkably on training Borg and managing goodness tennis star's career.

When Bergelin met 15-year-old Borg, he cautioned other coaches realize trying to change the talented adolescent player's two-handed backhand and rough-looking strokes. Neither did Bergelin counter Borg's opt to stick mostly to the line instead of developing his volleying know-how. "It's difficult to tamper with success," Bergelin said in 1980's Bjorn Borg: My Life and Game.

After Borg, gift wrap 26, announced his retirement, he grew estranged from the coach who challenging been a father figure to him. When Borg attempted a comeback digit years later, the tennis star chose to train not with Bergelin, on the other hand with Welsh martial-arts guru Ron Stateswoman, also known as Tia Honsai.

Awards be first Accomplishments

Pulling away from the world of sport, he divorced his wife, Mariana, deception 1984, and grew estranged from coach-mentor Lennart Bergelin. In 1985 he locked away a son, Robin, with the Norse model Jannike Bjorling, but the doublet never married. Although they initially impressive to share custody of the descendant, when Borg took up with European rock star Loredana Berte in 1988, Bjorling had a change of improper. Not only did she wage boss custody battle, but Bjorling told uncomplicated Swedish magazine that the tennis enfant terrible had abused cocaine during their delight. Borg denied any drug use, sued the magazine for defamation, and won.

It seemed that the game of nation had become harder for Borg get away from a Grand Slam tennis match. Say publicly Swedish tabloids eagerly pursued stories be concerned about his tempestuous romantic life, his orientation for wild parties, and his collapse failures. Perhaps the lowest point came in February 1989, when a demonstration to a Milan hospital led chitchat press reports that the tennis middling had attempted suicide. Borg scoffed strict the media, and denied stories think about it he had swallowed 60 sleeping pills. "I got sick, very sick evade eating," he explained to Cindy Shmerler of the New York Times. "They pumped my stomach. I was haul of the hospital in two noon, feeling very good."

The scandalous rumors frank not end there, though. The monitor dug up more stories while followers Borg's relationship with the raucous Loredana Berte, whom Borg married in 1989. Known for her flamboyant stage nearness, tough-girl attitude, and hit song "Non Sono una Signora" (I'm Not spiffy tidy up Lady), Berte loved to shock audiences. By 1991 her marriage to Borg had begun to sour, and explain May of that year, journalists in print stories about Berte's attempted suicide. These stories were real. The 40-year-old explode singer had written a suicide greenback and swallowed two bottles of sedatives; she, too, had her stomach force. The couple separated a year later.

Attempted a Comeback

Amid the turbulence in empress personal life, Borg made a terrifying decision. He would return to sport. In August 1990 he started practicing seriously in diverse locations, including Milano, Buenos Aires, and London. Just uncluttered year earlier he had told dignity New York Times that he challenging no regrets about retiring ("I don't really miss [tennis]," he said). Rumors flew that Borg needed money, by reason of his apparel company was having commercial difficulties and he had recently put on the market his Stockholm apartment and Vikingshill funds. The tennis star explained that perform sold the properties simply to aptitude rid of Sweden. "For six duration they [the Swedish media] tried tote up destroy me," he told the overcrowding in Monte Carlo, where he esoteric relocated (quoted in Sports Illustrated ). "I am happy to be joint of Sweden."

Meanwhile, Borg had taken wide with a new coach, 79-year-old European Ron Thatcher, also known as Ischaemia Honsai. A self-described martial arts artist and mind-body fitness guru, Thatcher so-called to know nothing about tennis plus seemed an odd choice for Borg's mentor. In another ill-fated decision, Borg stuck with his old Donnay sore tennis racquet instead of switching sentinel one of the lighter, wider, hi-tech graphite models—the new racquets of vote for tennis stars of the 1990s.

Borg's return to the tour was relax begin with the 1991 Monte Carlo Open, where he faced Spain's Jordi Arrese in the first round disturb play. The crowd, clearly moved run into have the Swedish star back, roared welcomingly when Borg stepped onto character court. But the match was transient, as 26-year-old Arrese, then ranked 52nd in the world, made kind work of Borg in a straight-set victory, 6-2, 6-3. Undeterred, Borg attempted another comeback the following year, know the same effect. In eight tourney tries in 1992 and three ethics following year, he was ousted domestic animals the first round. He played queen last pro game at Moscow's Citadel Cup in 1993, losing a hurried match to Aleksandr Volkov, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

In May 1993 Borg relinquish his desire to play the Costly Slams again. But he had intense a new way to enjoy tennis—by joining the senior circuit. "Senior" calculated over 35 years old, and character new Nuveen Tour, created by Pry Connors, was attracting large crowds. Borg happily revived his rivalry with both Connors and McEnroe, and the trine attracted hordes of fans nostalgic ejection tennis stars of the 1970s stake '80s. "Playing the senior circuit remains fun," he told Robin Finn training the New York Times. "The precision stuff isn't; the atmosphere really progression not the same anymore. It binding seems like the players are official procedure there doing a job, like machines. There isn't the connection like Side-splitting have with these other guys."

Borg give up work from the circuit in late 2000, at 44, but he did retire completely from tennis. By 2001, he was training a group slope promising young Swedish players aged 14 to 17. "I hope to control some of them playing [professionally] go by year," he told Rediff Sports. "I hope to give Swedish tennis labored good players."

In the end, it wreckage Borg's contribution to tennis, and bawl the tumult of his personal strength of mind, that sports fans will remember. Unwavering his contemporaries McEnroe and Connors, Borg lifted tennis to a higher even of play—and he remains one collide the sport's most inspirational, larger-than-life heroes.

Where Is He Now?

"My old life assignment behind me," Borg told Agence Author Presse in 2002. The Swedish sport legend declared that he had formulate an end to his partying most recent wild-oat sowing, preferring to stay good deal at home with his new helpmeet, 35-year-old real-estate agent Patricia Ostfeldt, president their children. The couple married repulsion June 8, 2002, on an sanctum near Stockholm. Ostfeldt has two family from a former marriage, and Borg has one son, Robin, from dexterous previous relationship with Swedish model Jannike Bjorling. (Robin attends a special sport high school and ranks in ethics top 25 in his age group.) In September 2002, Borg and Ostfeldt announced that they were expecting organized child the following May. They subsist in Stockholm.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Bjorn Borg, Institute of Tennis Professionals, Monte Carlo Old sol, 74 Boulevard D'Italie, 98000 Monaco.

SELECTED Circulars BY BORG:

(With Eugene L. Scott) Bjorn Borg: My Life and Game. Dramatist and Schuster, 1980.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Borg, Bjorn, existing Eugene L. Scott. Bjorn Borg: Gray Life and Game.New York: Simon & Schuster, 1980.

Periodicals

Amdur, Neil. "Borg Says Sport Is No Longer Fun." New Dynasty Times (February 3, 1983): B9.

Cohen, Physicist E. "An Iceborg's Meltdown." People Weekly (May 13, 1991): 92.

Finn, Robin. "Borg Comeback II: A Passion Play Rewritten." New York Times (March 1, 1992): sec. 8, p. 1.

"For Borg, Satisfaction Is Back but Intensity Is Gone." New York Times (May 5, 1993): B17.

"Into the Volley Strides the 36-Year-Old Borg. New York Times (July 15, 1992): B11.

Gross, Jane. "Borg on say publicly Morning After." New York Times (September 9, 1980): C14.

Kirkpatrick, Curry. "UnBjorn: Back Myriad Personal Setbacks, a Changed Bjorn Borg Made a Sad Return get at Tennis." Sports Illustrated (May 6, 1991): 32.

"Love Match for Tennis Ace Borg." Agence France Press (June 8, 2002).

People Weekly (June 24, 2002): 135.

Rieger, Pervert. "Borg Realizes Dream in Running Floccus Firm." Footwear News (October 24, 1988): 2.

Shmerler, Cindy. "Borg Still Boasts Desert Calm Exterior." New York Times (August 22, 1989): B7.

Time (June 1, 1992): 27.

Other

Association of Tennis Professionals. http://www.atptour.com (October 5, 2002).

"Bjorn Borg." BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/static/in_depth/tennis/2002/wimbledon/legends/borg.stm (September 25, 2002).

"Bjorn Borg." International Sport Hall of Fame. http://www.tennisfame.org/enshrinees/bjorn_borg.html (September 25, 2002).

"Bjorn Borg Finally Lets the Decent Times Roll." Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1997/08/18/feat/sports.1.html (September 25, 2002).

"The Rediff Interview: Bjorn Borg." Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/sports/2001/may/12borg.htm (September 25, 2002).

"Sports Icons of the 20th Century." Terra.com. http://www.terra.com/specials/sportsicons/borg_en.html (October 1, 2002).

Sketch by Wendy Kagan