In the late s, Borg dominated tennis in a way that no male player has done since. He would trounce the field at Roland Garros on clay which was slower than it is now , tune up for a few weeks on grass, then obliterate everyone at Wimbledon which played much faster in those days. Borg did not achieve this double once, like Federer, or twice, like Rafael Nadal, but on three occasions.
His final tally was six French Open titles and five back-to-back Wimbledon championships. His stats in the Davis Cup, when these matches actually meant something, were freakishly consistent: a record 33 successive singles victories from to Borg had a supreme, fuss-free, all-court game and brought a professionalism to the sport that it had never occurred to anyone to have. He trained in gruelling blocks of five hours and was so fit he claimed he never once felt tired during a tennis match.
His resting heart rate was a whale-like 29 beats per minute. This makes sense of the iconic Wimbledon final of against McEnroe where he lost the fourth set tie-break only somehow to bounce back and tough out the deciding set, winning it Borg also codified an unblinking stoicism that was later adopted by Federer less so by Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Aged 12, he was suspended for six months in Sweden for his outbursts on court. Apparently, he came back reformed and made it a point of principle that he would keep his emotions in check. He became compulsive, or at least highly superstitious, about routine: always the same locker, number of towels and so on; no sex or shaving for however long he stayed in the tournament.
Tennis had never really been cool before Borg played it. Before his U. Open upset, Borg had won 11 Grand Slam titles and had compiled a record of the most consecutive wins in tennis history. He was a legend in his own time. But after his loss to the seemingly indefatigable McEnroe, the Swedish tennis star would win only two more matches, reaching the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo in Something had changed internally for Borg, and by late he announced to his family, coach, and friends that tennis was no longer fun.
The year-old star wanted to retire. Yet Borg did not make a public announcement of his decision until February If you don't think and feel that, it's very difficult to play.
In retiring, Borg left his fans and fellow tennis players shocked and disappointed. Many believed he could have kept on top for several years to come. Open," Arthur Ashe told Sports Illustrated. But by the time he left, the historical challenge didn't mean anything.
On January 23, while traveling in Bangkok, he announced his retirement at age Borg flirted with comebacks in , , and , but all to no avail. When Borg retired from tennis in after a decade on the tour, he held the Open Era record for most major championships with He is tied with Rod Laver for singles major wins.
Roy Emerson ended his career, which spanned the amateur and Open Eras, with 12 singles titles. He is in the seventh position all-time in major final appearances His He won two major titles in the same season three times, tied for second best all-time with Sampras.
His eight-year streak of winning at least one major title currently ranks second with Sampras and Federer. On clay, Borg won 93 percent of his matches second best , 89 percent on grass third best and 85 percent on hard courts sixth best.
Borg won 64 career tournament championships in singles sixth best in 88 final appearances and compiled a record, which on percentage 83 percent ranks second best in history. Although Borg, who rose to No. I think he could have won the Grand Slam. He was bigger than the game. He was like Elvis or Liz Taylor or somebody.
Accept and Close. Search Support. Hall of Famers. Hours and Admission. Hall of Fame Open. Private Event Rentals. He had been on the professional circuit from the age of 14 and dedicated himself to playing tennis as well as he humanly could. Without that drive there was no point continuing. It was all or nothing, and nothing meant forgetting about tennis, including SW19, and seeing what else life had to offer.
The answer was plenty, not all of it good. He was married and divorced twice, fathered a child with a teenager he met while she was competing in a wet T-shirt contest he was a judge , and developed a business that collapsed into bankruptcy.
After needing to have his stomach pumped, he was even alleged to have attempted suicide, but he has always insisted it was an episode of food poisoning which was scandalously reported. My life had been training, hotel, match, airport, training. To do other things is very difficult for someone who is not used to it. I had possibilities to do more things, but at first I was not really ready.
I learned eventually a lot of things. It is a learning process. After playing tennis I had years when I don't think about tennis. I didn't touch a racket for five years.
I exercised every day as I always wanted to stay in good shape, but it was ice hockey, soccer or running. It was important to exercise every day. I hope I will live to years, and always stay in good shape. All those things that teenagers do, that my friends were doing, I didn't do them. I didn't miss it. I was having a great time playing tennis.
I sacrificed all that because I had my heart in tennis. I had my goals.
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