Bjorn Borg Biography

At the age of 14, Borg left school to devote all his time to tennis. It paid off, and at 15 he was selected for the Swedish Davis Cup team; by 16 he was Wimbledon Junior Champion.

With such talent, it is unsurprising that, in 1976, he won the Wimbledon singles title. It was the first of a long run and he held this title from 1976 – 1980, winning it five consecutive times. He reached the final again in 1981, but lost to John McEnroe.

Borg also won the French Open a record six times (1974, 1975, 1978-1981).

Despite his Wimbledon and French success, Borg never won the US Open, losing in the final match four times, and he chose never to compete in the Australian Open.

However, he still managed to win 11 singles championships in grand slam events, second only to Roy Emerson’s 12.

Borg is perhaps best known for his baseline play and for his almost imperturbable manner on the court, earning him the name ‘ice man’ from some of his opponents.

Borg chose not to follow the entire world-wide tour, insisting on a long vacation. This decision brought him into conflict with the men’s tennis council in 1982, and some believe this was part of his decision to retire early, aged only 27.

He attempted a comeback in 1991, but he had little success, and decided to retire for good.