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Bjorn Borg dominated men’s tennis at the height of the sport

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11 Jan 2022
5 min read
Question: he won wimbledon five consecutive years, with his championship run ending in 1980...

The term was “Borgmania.”

Stockholm, Sweden-born Bjorn Borg – known for his flowing locks captured by signature headband, coupled with monster topspin and a two-handed backhand – captured the imagination and glory of the tennis world at the peak of the men’s game’s power and cultural popularity.

Reputed as a moody, bombastic player in his formative years, Borg, under the direction of coach, fellow Swede and the country’s Davis Cup captain, Lennart Bergelin, would evolve into something of a dominating, robotic presence as his game took over the globe.

In 1972, named to Sweden’s Davis Cup squad at the mere age of 15, Borg let his presence be immediately known by defeating New Zealand’s Onny Parun – who had made the Wimbledon quarterfinals in both 1971 and ’72 – in five sets.

More palpable success was soon to follow.

In ’74, at just 18-years-old, Borg would capture his first career Grand Slam, winning the French Open and becoming the storied event’s youngest-ever male champion.  The year following, Borg’s fondness for the clay surface was cemented with a second French title.

The major wins set serve for Borg’s most memorable stage – Wimbledon.

In ’76, Borg won the Wimbledon championship without dropping a set the entire tournament, capping off the title with a victory of Ille Nastase; at just 20-years-old (and one month), Borg, akin to his accomplishment at the French, became the luminary event’s youngest-ever champion.

Such dominance didn’t stop.  From 1976-80, Borg would win Wimbledon five consecutive times, becoming the first male player in the game’s Open Era to lay such claim.

With Borg concluding 1979 as the world’s No. 1 player, Wimbledon and the world readied for a 1980 event which offered a championship showdown between the Swede and America’s surging star, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, John McEnroe.   Generally referred to as the most memorable match in Wimbledon history, Borg rallied from falling 1-6 in the opening frame to eventually grab the title via an electric, 8-6 fifth set tiebreaker.

The match’s near four-hour drama has been well-captured and revisited over the years, most recently in the 2017 film, Borg vs McEnroe, starring Sverrir Gudnason and Shia LaBeouf.

What’s rarely captured with the same worthy level of drama is the McEnroe would defeat Borg in the U.S. Open later that same year (an event Borg would never win) before defeating the Swede in a Wimbledon finals rematch in 1981.

At just the age of 26, Borg announced his shocking retirement in 1983.  His C.V. spoke for itself, presenting six French Open titles to go with his five consecutive Wimbledon wins.  Come 1991, Borg attempted a comeback (still using a wooden racket up against the modern graphite-style), but the attempt was short-lived, as the legend failed to win a single match.