Björn Borg

See also: Borg

Björn Borg , born the June 6th 1956 with Stockholm, is a player of Tennis. Called Iceman for its worrying placidity and its exceptional cardiac capacity (35 pulsations minute), it gained by its coolness the greatest tournaments of the Large Slam and a place in the prize list of the tennis of most exceptional.

As of the 15 years age, it gained the title junior with Wimbledon with London and belonged to the team of Coupe Davis of its country, and became thus one of the youngest players to contribute for this famous international trophy (see the article and the detail of its matches at the end of the page).

Professional as of the 16 years age, it gained his first victory in a tournament of the Grand Slam at just 18 years. In 1975, with the Swedish team, it gains the Davis cut.

Björn Borg, which played with one (small) racket out of wooden, revolutionized tennis with its reverse with two hands and the accelerating effect on the ball. On a court, Borg gave the impression to be a machine. Specialist in the basic exchanges in short and especially endowed with a force of concentration and a will out of the commun run during nearly ten ans1.

Björn Borg dominated male professional tennis at the end of the Années 1970 and at the beginning of the Années 1980. It gained the Tournoi of Wimbledon five years of continuation (1976 with 1980) and it gained the Tournoi of Roland Garros, six times between 1974 and 1981. It is the last to have gained the same year, of 1978 with 1980, these two tournaments, whose final against John McEnroe the July 5th 1980 (Borg - McEnroe (1980)) is regarded as one of the greatest matches of all the history of tennis.
On the other hand, it forever succeeded in imposing on the Open US tennis, whether it is with Forest-Hills or Flushing-Meadows. It lost 4 finales there (2 against Jimmy Connors and 2 against John McEnroe).

The January 23rd 1983, after having gained 96 titles in “Simple Sirs” ( to see various Records since the beginnings of tennis ), of which 61 recorded by the ATP, used by a demanding style, Björn Borg announced its retirement at only 26 years.

It tried a return to the competition at 35 years in 1991, but, always using its old racket of wood far from effective compared with the modern rackets, it accumulated the defeats with the first turn. He played his ultimate match in 1993.

Björn Borg is regarded as one of the best tennis players of all times:

- It gained at least 13 major tournaments comparable with the tournaments of the Large Slam of our time because to its 11 titles of tournaments of the Large Slam where the majority of the best players of the world were present it also added 2 Masters which at the time was the true 4th greater tournament of the year since with Open of Australia at least 15 of 20 the best were regularly absent. Although it was classified n° 1 world at the end of the year by the ATP only two years (1979 - 1980), the specialists agree all to say that it was without question the best of 1978 with 1980 (during the 1st world champion nomination by the FIT in 1978 this one elects Borg by 3 votes with 0, to see Liste of the world champions of tennis) and probable the n° 1 in 1977 (see Tennis players world numbers 1).

- It was also with Ken Rosewall the largest ground player beaten of the history.

It was with Mohammed Ali the most popular sportsman in the world at the end of the years 1970, which enabled him to on the matter obtain enormous contracts with various companies becoming thus a precursor.

1 It arrived to him nevertheless of the small weaknesses a) at the beginning of career as fine 1973 for the edition 1974 the Open one of Australia where it dropped the third set from its match against Phil Dent or at the time of Wimbledon 1974 vis-a-vis Ismail El Shafei exhausted by the media pressure after its performances to Dallas, Rome and Roland Garros and especially in end of a career since Borg estimates that finally of Wimbledon 1981 he was only to 80% of its mental force, this decline ineluctably attracting it towards the semi-retirement.

Prize list in Large Slam:

Victories: (11)

Finales: (5)

Detail of its performances in Large Slam and with Masters:

Other results in the Great Tournaments:

Gained tournaments: 96

Titles into Simple: 63 (61 listed by the Web site of the ATP and *2 observers in the ATP Player' S Guides)

Titles not listed by the Web site of the ATP: 7 (Tournament of 8-Players and more)

Titles not listed by the Web site of the ATP: 26 (Tournament on invitation with 4-Players)

Lost finales: 26 (24 listed by the Web site of the ATP and *2 observers in the ATP Player' S Guide)

  • 1 Final cancelled.

Lost finales not listed by the Web site of the ATP: 5

Borg and the Coupe Davis: A great history.

  • on May 5th, 1972 will remain without any doubt an important date in the career and the memory of Bjorn Borg. This one then 15 years old accomplished this day there an extremely rare exploit for a player of his age. In its first match of Coupe Davis opposed to the New Zealander Onny By a, whereas it was largely carried out (2 sets with zero), it knew by its mental extraordinary, its basic play of runs already well sharpened and perhaps by the unconditional support of its supporters of Bastad Tennis Stadium reversed the score to finally carry it in 5 sets in an indescribable jubilation. He repeated two days later by more easily demolishing Jeff Simpson in 4 sets. That made it possible Sweden to be qualified for the following turn. But the best is to be come. Indeed in 1975, it disputed 12 matches for all that success and to gain on December 21st this salad bowl of so much coveted money. On the whole it will align without stopping a number impressing of victories (33!) in this competition until 1980. Its assessment is exceptional: 37 victories for only 3 defeats. It should be noted that it is forever met John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in this dear Coupe Davis what is strong damage. Their meetings if they had taken place would have been certainly explosive.

Detail of its matches in Coupe Davis:

  • 1 (+) = Victoire (-) = Demolished

Sources for this section

  • John Barrett, editor, World off Tennis Yearbooks , London, of 1976 to 1983.

  • Michel Sutter, Victorious Winners 1946-2003 , Paris, 2003. Sutter, initially, tried to count all the international tournaments of 1946 with the autumn 1991. For each tournament it indicated the city, the date of the finale, the winner, the finalist and the score of the finale. A tournament is included in its list if: (1) the table includes/understands at least eight players (with some exceptions near like the tournaments Pepsi Grand Slam of second half of the years 1970; and (2) the level of the tournament was at least equal to that of the tournaments challenger of now. The book of Sutter is probably the most exhaustive source of tournaments since the Second world war, even if some professional tournaments of the period previous the open era are not recorded. Thereafter Sutter published an 2nd edition, with for only indications the players, their victories and the years corresponding, over the period 1946 - April 27th, 2003.

External bonds

  • Data sheet on the play of Bjorn Borg and some quotations

http://bjornborgfanforever1.free.fr/cariboost1/ ----

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