I have been thinking about that question for about forty years. One of the biggest defeats to male tennis players in history was Borg’s early retirement at the age of just 26.
These days, people tend to underestimate Borg’s true brilliance. In the same year (1978/80), he won Wimbledon and Paris three times. He won five Wimbledon titles and six French crowns in total. of addition, Wimbledon’s grass courts of the 1970s and 1980s played considerably faster than they do now. Borg won at Wimbledon by playing from the back of the court during a time when the serve and volley was the epitome of the game. Something that all the experts at the time believed was impossible. Thus, Borg outperformed another great Clay court player, Rafael Nadal, in Wimbledon.
I still think that Borg is the best natural athlete I have ever seen on a tennis court. His resting heart rate was comparable to that of elite endurance and long-distance athletes. He competed against the reigning Swedish champion, Borg, in a 400-meter race in the middle of the 1970s. Borg won in slightly over 46 seconds. In 1974, the European Championship was won in a little more than forty-five seconds. The Swedish champion’s coach predicted that Borg could become a champion in Europe with proper training. It should come as no surprise that Borg was the fastest player on the floor. Borg further asserted that he never felt fatigued on the court, even after five set matches.
Borg, who had reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals that year and had won the French Open, retired at the age of just 26 in 1981. Take note that he only participated in the Australian Open once, losing in the third round in 1974. 89.24 was Borg’s career winning percentage. greater than the current Big Three combined.
Taking everything into account, then. It is logical, in my opinion, to presume that Borg was capable of winning four more French Opens. Maybe even more. You can add a few more Wimbledon victories. Therefore, even if he didn’t win a single hard court competition. That would bring his career total of major titles to 17. superior to all other players before Federer and Nadal entered the picture.
It is imperative to consider that Borg did not participate in the Australian Open. Simply put, it wasn’t given much weight in those days. He might have taken home a couple titles down there if he had. Although he did make it to four finals at the US Open and had an overall record of 80% there, true hard courts were not his best surface. Not too bad.
All of this is, of course, speculation. Borg’s enthusiasm for tennis faded. He was just tired of the game, having done nothing else since he was a little child. However, as the aforementioned stats demonstrate, he is unquestionably among the all-time greats.
As a fellow chess player, I view Borg’s premature retirement in the same light as I do Bobby Fischer’s. The latter retired in 1972, having won the world championship. As a result, the world was deprived of seeing the mastery of these two legendary fighters at the pinnacle of their enormous abilities.
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