Björn Borg altered tennis history and dominated the sport from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Here’s everything you need to know about the renowned “Iceborg,” the courts’ everlasting idol. How Björn became Borg.
Björn Borg, a great superstar and icon of his generation, was a typical young prodigy. At the age of nine, he went to a table tennis competition in which his father competed near Stockholm, Sweden. Borg senior won a tennis racket and presented it to his son. The next day, Björn began playing tennis and fell madly in love with it! This was the first day of the remainder of his life, and it marked the start of a successful career. At the age of 18, he became Roland-Garros’ youngest champion in 1974, a year after reaching the Round of 16 in his debut.
This extraordinary player had two particularly amazing qualities: his thinking and his playing style, which blended power and concentration. Björn Borg was the first player to maintain unwavering concentration on the court; nothing could distract him. This gave him the moniker “Iceborg”. Because of this, he was invincible, and his opponents frequently felt as if they were up against a brick wall. His second distinguishing feature was his technique. Far from following a traditional playing technique, he produced outstanding topspin with his two-handed backhand and had a terrific forehand.
Björn Borg’s career was full of records. From 1978 to 1980, he won every Roland-Garros and Wimbledon championship. Between 1976 and 1980, the Swede won the London competition five times in a row. His win over John McEnroe in 1980, after 3 hours 53 minutes of play and five sets, went down in history.
He was also impressive at Roland-Garros, where he won four straight tournaments from 1978 to 1981 and completed the Roland-Wimbledon double three times, a remarkable feat. Borg had long maintained the record for the most wins at the Porte d’Auteuil, with six, until Rafael Nadal won his seventh Roland-Garros victory in 2012. At the US Open, he appeared to be cursed. Borg lost four finals: against Connors in 1976 and 1978, and to McEnroe in 1980 and 1981. Björn Borg never won the Grand Slam in New York.
He was extremely strong at Roland-Garros, where he won four consecutive tournaments from 1978 to 1981 and completed the Roland-Wimbledon double three times, which was an incredible feat. Borg held the record for the most wins in the Porte d’Auteuil, with six, until Rafael Nadal won his seventh Roland-Garros title in 2012. At the US Open, he appeared cursed. Borg lost four finals: two to Connors in 1976 and 1978, and two to McEnroe in 1980 and 1981. Björn Borg has never won the Grand Slam in New York.
