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<< Previous Next >> |  | | Sport | Tennis | | Name | Bjorn Borg | | Subtitle | The Champion Who Came In From the Cold | | Number | 09-21 | | Info | Like Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg is a legend in his own lifetime, chiefly because his game is so unusual, perhaps even unique. But Bjorn Borg is also a champion because of his strength of character, and the seriousness with which he takes his chosen career. The list of his victories would make remarkable reading for any tennis-player, let alone a 20- year-old. He is a champion who has "come in from the cold", not merely because of his Swedish nationality, but also because of the extraordinary control he has over his nerves and his emotions, even under the most trying circumstances. He was particularly inscrutable during his unforgettable victory over Hie Nastase at Wimbledon in 1976, where the Romanian's nerves cracked under Borg's impressive determination. Borg, who had suffered from a mysterious groin injury during the entire tournament, won his title without conceding a single set. That Saturday, Nastase was not the only one to go down. Bookmakers too were taken unawares, having previously been able to cite many reasons why Borg, given his age, his temperament and his game, would never win a big tournament on grass. What none of them realized was that Borg, always a phenomenal player on hard surfaces, was also capable of lightning serves and returns on grass. Before becoming grass-court champion at Wimbledon, Bjorn Borg was also several times junior champion, most notably winner of the Orange Bowl at the age of 15. Now living in Monte-Carlo, but still under instruction from Lennart Bergelin, Bjorn Borg started the 1977 season in the knowledge that, to date, he has never lost a single match against a player younger than himself. | | Photo Info | BJORN BORG Born June 6, 1956 in Sodertlage, near Stockholm, SWE AWARDS AND RECORDS Winner of Orange Bowl in 1971, 1972 winner of junior Wimbledon 1972 Winner at Roland-Garros in 1974, 1975 Winner in Rome in 1974 Winner of U.S. Pro Championship in 1974, 1975 Davis Cup winner for Sweden, without losing a singles match in 1975 (beating Czechoslovakia in the final) Winner of WCT in Dallas in 1976,1977 Winner of Wimbledon in 1976 Finalist at Forest Hills in 1976; semi-finalist in 1975 (beaten both times by Jimmy Connors) Bjorn Borg: calm and rarely caught unawares | | Copyright | © 1977, Editions Rencontre S.A., Lausanne Photos Fred Joch-Len Sirman Press Printed in Italy 03 005 09-21
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