Bjorn BORG

Born in Sodertaljie, near Stockholm in Sweden on June 6th, 1956, Bjorn Rune Borg's interest in the game began at an early age when his father gave him a racket that he had won in a table tennis competition. That gift paved the way for Borg's incredible impact on the sport. A game that he would go on to dominate and ensure that he is widely regarded, still today, as one of the greatest ever players to take to the courts. Of course, tennis in Borg's hey-day was considerably different and much slower paced than the "boom-boom" tennis played in the men's game today. Borg, a classic baseliner, would relentlessly chase down everything his opponent could throw at him. His powerful ground-strokes, of which he used a double handed backhand, punished his contemporaries into submission. This unusual stroke was adapted using the same principals used for the "slap-shot" in Ice Hockey. This had been Borg's favourite sport in his childhood but it was soon surpassed by his love of tennis which saw him practice his game from dawn til dusk. Bjorn Borg's emergence through the tennis ranks was rewarded with a call up into the Swedish Davis Cup Squad in 1972, when at just 15 years of age he was instrumental in helping his Country secure a 4-1 win over New Zealand.

Borg won both his singles matches, coming from two sets down to defeat the veteran Onny Parun in five hard fought sets and then defeating Jeff Simpson in four. He lost the doubles rubber when he partnered Ove Bengtson, losing to the New Zealand duo in straight sets. Later that same year, Borg played on the hallowed turf at SW19, winning the Boys singles title, when he defeated Britain's Buster Mottram in the final. He again showed incredible resilience, coming back to win the trophy after being 5-2 down in the deciding set. The following year, 1973, Borg performed well on the tour. His best achievement in the Slam's came at Wimbledon where he reached the quarter-final. Although still a virtual novice on grass, Borg found himself seeded sixth for the tournament, thanks, in part, to a boycott of the famous competition by the world's leading players who where furious that the Yugoslav, Nikki Pilic hadn't been allowed to play. Borg would give a tantalising glimpse of what was to come, before losing in the last eight to Britain's Roger Taylor in five sets. It was in 1974, when Borg, still a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday, claimed his first career title with victory at the Italian Open.

Then, only a few weeks later, he added his second singles title, and his first ever Grand Slam victory, when winning on the French Clay at Roland Garros. Bjorn's passage to his first Grand Slam final had been a roller-coaster to say the least. In the last 16, he had faced Erik Van Dillen and came back to win in five sets after losing the first set to love. At the quarter-final stage, he defeated Raul Ramirez, coming from two sets to one down to once again win in five, whilst in the last four against Harold Solomon, he won through 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. In the final, he faced the Spaniard, Manuel Orantes and, once again, the match went all the way. Borg's hard fought five sets victory was all the more impressive due to the fact that this time he had to come from two sets to love down to complete a remarkable victory. During the last three sets, Bjorn only lost two games to close out the match 2-6, 6-7, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 and capture the first Grand Slam trophy of his career. Borg's impact on the game during 1974 saw him achieve iconic status almost immediately. His incredible fan following off court was likened more to that of a pop or movie star, rather than to a tennis player. However, on court, Borg's vast array of shots, his calm demeanour, which would earn him the nickname of the "Ice Man", coupled with his incredible athleticism and sheer will to win would have seem him compete at the highest echelon of the game during any era. (Michelle Smith)

1975 saw Bjorn Borg secure his second Grand Slam Singles title when he retained the French Open crown that he had won so impressively the previous year. Throughout his career, Borg was virtually unplayable on clay and his passage through the rounds this particular year was relatively straight forward, with straight sets victories over Norman Holmes, Peter Szoke, Jiri Hrebec, Stan Smith and Harold Solomon. This took Bjorn through to a semi-final meeting with Adriano Panatta and despite dropping his first set of the tournament he advanced through 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. In the final he faced Guillermo Vilas, who was making his debut in a Grand Slam Final. The Argentinean showed tremendous determination and the match produced some incredibly powerful and relentless baseline rallies. Borg, however, rallied the better, and went on to win the match 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 to record his second victory at Roland Garros. In his other Slam's that year, Borg lost in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon  to the eventual champion Arthur Ashe, whilst in the US event, he advanced through to the semis before losing to the previous years winner, Jimmy Connors. Besides the successful retention of his French title, Borg's other main highlight of the year was being instrumental in helping his Country secure their first ever victory in the Davis Cup Final. The Davis Cup is undoubtedly the greatest team event in Tennis.

It is both moving and poignant when the umpire announces "Game, Sweden", rather than to the individual player, and ignites the incredibly patriotic crowds. Sweden's ascent through the European Zones saw them defeat Poland by 4 rubbers to 1 in Warsaw, Germany 3-2 in Berlin, Russia 3-2 in Riga and the Spanish 3-2 in Barcelona. This brought the Swedes through to the Interzone Semi-Final where they faced Chile. Somewhat controversially, Chile asked for the tie to be switched to a neutral venue, fearing protests by opponents to their political regime back home. The Davis Cup Committee were sympathetic; but they eventually ruled that the tie should go ahead, as intended, in Sweden. The match itself was incredibly tight. Borg won the first rubber, defeating Patricio Cornejo 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3, only for the Chileans to level the match when Jaime Sr. Fillol beat Birger Andersson easily in straight sets. In the vital third rubber, Borg partnered Ove Bengston to a 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory. The next game could now determine the match in Sweden's favour and send them through to their first ever appearance in the Davis Cup final. In the reverse singles, Birger Andersson took on Cornejo and after a mammoth second set that Sweden eventually won, Andersson went on to clinch the match 6-3, 14-12, 6-1. Borg won the last 'dead rubber' 6-1, 6-2, 6-1. That 4-1 victory sent Sweden through to the final where they faced Czechoslovakia, who were also making their first appearance at this stage, in what was the first all European final since it had been contested by Great Britain and France in 1933. Borg once again swept Sweden into an early advantage when he defeated Jiri Hrebec 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 but Jan Kodes then defeated Bengston to bring the match level. In the crucial doubles, Bengston and Borg combined to win in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. This meant Bjorn had the opportunity to win the Davis Cup for Sweden and he wasn't in the mood to be denied, Kodes being comfortably brushed aside 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to clinch a memorable first victory for the Swedes. Sweden's remarkable achievement etched their countries name into the record books, and their victory on 21st December was an early Christmas present for their vast army of keen tennis fans. Borg's impact on the Davis Cup also made history with his victory over Kodes his 19th straight singles win, thus overtaking the previous record set by Bill Tilden in the 1920s. (Michelle Smith)

1976 is fondly remembered by Bjorn Borg's fans as the first successful year of his five year dominance at Wimbledon ­ the greatest of all the Grand Slams. However, Wimbledon in June  was the culmination of a year that saw Borg also win several other singles tournaments. His first victory in '76 came in the February in Toronto, Canada when he defeated the American Vitas Gerulatis in three sets. It was the fourth singles title of Borg's flourishing career, adding to the Italian Open he had won in '74 and also the two French Open titles successes of '74 and '75. Bjorn's next victory came in San Paulo, Brazil, the following month. However, his route to the final proved quite tricky; with two hard fought battles in both the last 16 and also the quarters. He lost the opening set in both encounters before coming through against Allan Stone and Geoff Masters respectively. He won his semi-final in straight sets, setting up a tournament decider against Guillermo Vilas. Borg had defeated the Argentine in straight sets in the 1975 French Open final and managed to repeat that feat by securing a 7-6, 6-2 victory. In May, Borg won in Dallas, Texas, once again defeating Vilas. This time it was much closer but Bjorn still claimed the title with a four set win. All of Borg's three titles so far this year had been won indoors. His next tournament, held in Düsseldorf, Germany, was on the Ice Man's favourite surface, clay. As he had proved in the two previous French Opens, Borg was virtually unplayable on the surface and swept aside his contemporaries without losing a set. His victory over the Spaniard Manuel Orantes in the final should have set him up nicely for his defence at Roland Garros and Borg duly arrived in France as the red-hot favourite to reclaim the title.

Unfortunately, this time in Paris didn't see the Great Man playing at his best. Borg's opening match saw him lose the first set to love before bouncing back to defeat the Frenchman Dominique Bedel in four sets. He sailed through the next two rounds without dropping a set and appeared on course to retain his title. In the last 16, he faced another Frenchman, Francois Jauffret, and this proved to be a tough encounter, Borg narrowly winning through in five sets, 10-8 in the decider. However, in the quarters he lost in four sets to the eventual champion, Adriano Panatta, thus bringing to an end his incredible winning streak at this particular Grand Slam event. Disappointed, but not deterred, Borg arrived in London. For several weeks before the tournament began, he practiced his game relentlessly on the much faster grass surface. It proved that practice does indeed make perfect as Bjorn swept aside his competitors to reach his first Wimbledon final without losing a set. In the final he faced the incredibly talented Ilie Nastase who was playing in his second Wimbledon final, after losing the first in 1972 to the American Stan Smith. Unfortunately for Mr Nasty, history would repeat itself with Borg winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 9-7 to secure his first Wimbledon victory. In the last Grand Slam event of the year, Borg won through to his first US final after coming through some epic encounters in the earlier rounds. Both Brian Gottfried and Manuel Orantes pushed him all the way in two five set tussles in the last 16 and the quarter-final respectively. However, Borg showed his remarkable resilience again by coming through and after despatching Nastase in the last four, he faced Jimmy Connors in the final who was playing in his third successive US final. Bjorn played well but lost to Jimmy in four hard fought sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6. Borg ended the year with a 49/10 win/loss record and at the end of 1976 could boast 8 Singles titles to his name, three of which were Grand Slams. (Michelle Smith)

Bjorn Borg's first singles victory of 1977 came in Memphis, Tennessee on an indoor court in February, where he swept aside the American Brian Gottfried in the final. His next tournament victory came in April, where he once again proved irresistible on the red clay by winning in Monte Carlo. The Ice Man was simply unplayable during this event which saw him lift the trophy without dropping a set. World Team Tennis duty denied him the opportunity the following month to add to his two French Open titles. However, when Borg arrived in London to defend his Wimbledon crown he was in no mood to relinquish his grip on the World famous trophy. His opponents, though, certainly made him work to retain his crown. In the opening round, Borg won through in straight sets against the Italian Antonio Zugarelli. It was far from an easy match, with Bjorn clinching the third set and, subsequently, the match, 9-7. In his next game against the Australian Mark Edmonson it appeared as though a massive upset was on the cards when Borg lost the opening two sets but he battled back incredibly well to win through in five hard fought sets, 3-6, 7-9, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.

Bjorn sailed through his next three matches against Nikola Pilic, Wojtek Fibak and Ilie Nastase respectively, coming through all three encounters without dropping a set, to set up a semi-final clash with Vitas Gerulaitis. This match proved less straight forward with the American pushing the cool Swede all the way. However, Borg once again proved his resilience, coming through an epic five set match 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 8-6. Bjorn's victory over Gerulaitis set him up for a mouth watering clash in the final against one of his biggest adversaries on court, Jimmy Connors, who had also found his route to the final far from easy. He had been taken to five sets in the last 16 by his compatriot Stan Smith and had also been taken to four sets in three of his other matches. Both men had played a lot of tennis in reaching the final and were extremely well practiced on the fast, grass surface. They played blistering, attacking, exciting tennis. It was a great game and this match too went all the way, with Borg prevailing in the deciding set to retain his trophy with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory. Bjorn's success in Wimbledons centenary year helped him topple Connors from the top of the World rankings in August of 1977, who had spent an unprecedented 160 weeks perched at the top of the tree. Borg only held the top spot for seven days before Connors reclaimed the honour the following week.

In the final Grand Slam event of the year, Bjorn was forced to retire from his fourth round clash in the US Open against Dick Stockton with the match level at a set apiece. Borg rounded his year off by winning at Wembley in the November. He swept aside the competition without conceding a set, defeating Britain's John Lloyd in the final. The Swede ended the year with a 32/4 win/loss record and his four singles titles took his overall tournament tally to twelve. However, 1977 is best remembered for the retention of his Wimbledon crown. Some 100 years after Spencer Gore won the inaugural event, Bjorn Borg was a suitably fitting champion in such a historic year. (Michelle Smith)

 Bjorn Borg started the year with twelve singles titles to his credit. Some twelve months later, his collection had risen to eighteen. Borg won his first title of 1978 in the March when he won on the indoor courts in Milan. He lost just the one set on route to the final when he lost 7-6 in the opening set against Stan Smith. However, in typically imperious style, he rallied to win the remaining two for the loss of just a couple of games. His subsequent victory against Smith in the semis set him up for a final clash against Vitas Gerulaitus. Once again, the Ice-man proved too strong and went on to win 6-3, 6-3. Bjorn's second victory of the year, and his second success overall on the Italian clay in May didn't come easily. He lost the opening sets of his first and second round encounters before dispatching Ricardo Ycaza and Eric Deblicker respectively. Borg then swept aside three Americans, Tanner, Soloman and Dibbs to set up a final against the local favourite, Adriano Panatta. Borg once again dropped the opening set before winning the next two. The Italian responded by playing some blistering tennis to take the fourth to set up a deciding set. The final set was hard fought, but Borg showed his tremendous resilience and breath-taking athleticism to break his opponents serve and thus take the title. His victory on the clay in Italy proved he was in great form going into the French Open. Borg, on his favourite surface, was in imperious form. In the second round against Rick Fagel he dropped just the one game and repeated the feat in the last four by almost claiming the "golden goose" against Corrado Barazzutti. In the final he faced Guillermo Vilas whom he had beaten when he had last claimed the French crown in 1975. History would repeat itself again this year with Borg easily winning the final 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.

Up next was Wimbledon and the defence of the title that Bjorn had won so impressively in 1976 and '77, but on the grass at SW19, he faced a multitude of tough encounters. In the opening round, it appeared as though a huge upset was on the cards when the highly unfancied American, Victor Amaya, won two out of the first three sets to bring himself to the precipice of a memorable victory. His dream of a huge upset however, soon turned into a nightmare when Borg turned up the heat to win the remaining two sets. Bjorn's victory in round three was also tricky before he eventually ousted the Chilean Jaime Fillol Sr in four sets. Borg played supreme tennis in his next three matches and didn't drop a set in his seemingly unstoppable quest to his third successive Wimbledon final. In a repeat of the previous year's final, the ice man from Sweden faced Jimmy Connors. The 1977 final had been an epic encounter with the match going all the way to a fifth and final set. The history books show that the 1978 final was a much more one sided affair, with Borg winning in straight sets, but, as was his custom, Connors made Borg work tremendously hard to reclaim his title. As ever, he played every rally as though it was a match-point. Bjorn's victory at Wimbledon was a remarkable achievement. The previous month he was victorious on the French Clay. Barely four weeks later he had won on a totally different surface. A fantastic achievement. He added another title to his growing collection when he won on his home soil (or should that be clay) at the event in Bastad, Sweden in July. Borg won the trophy without dropping a set. Perfect preparation for his assault on the last remaining Grand Slam event of the year. At the US Open, Borg lost just two sets on route to the final where he again faced Connors in a major final. Like the final two years previously, Borg couldn't find a way past the World Number 1, losing in straight sets. The US Open title remained elusive once again.

Borg also returned to Davis Cup duty for the first time since Sweden had won the trophy in 1975 and helped his country win the European final when they defeated Hungary in the September. Unfortunately, the Swedes lost to a strong United States team in the Inter-zonal semi-final the following month. The Americans would later go all the way in the Team Cup, defeating Great Britain in the Final. As for Bjorn Borg, he ended his year by winning in Tokyo, Japan and finished with a 52/4 overall win/loss record. Borg's six titles during 1978 was his most successful year yet on the tour. In 1977 he had claimed four trophies, five in 1976, one in 1975 and two in 1974. (Michelle Smith)