Tennis: Leo Borg and the Tennis: Mama cries, the footsteps are (too) big

Leo Borg has big plans: The young Swede wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. Papa Björn Borg dominated the tennis world in his active time at will – but what can be expected from his son?

He is now 15 years old, the son of tennis legend Björn Borg. The introverted Swede won eleven major titles and is still considered one of the best tennis players of all time. The legendary duels with the young, impulsive US-American John McEnroe are unforgettable.

Son Leo wants to experience something similar. When he told this to his mother Patricia ten years ago, she burst into tears. “I cried. We tried to move him in another career so he wouldn’t have to compare himself to his father. It would have been so much easier. I was scared,” Mama Borg told the New York Times.

Yeah, the footsteps are big. Possibly too big for Look-alike-Björn. Long blond hair, light skin tone and emotions do not bubble up unnecessarily in teenagers. Just like Dad. Björn was a quiet representative on the tennis court. Stoic, always focused on being the best. And that was him: For many years no one could hold a candle to the Swede.

But then, at the age of 26, it was over. Unexpected for all Borg fans who would have liked to see him hover over the square for even longer. Several comeback attempts failed, today the five-time Wimbledon winner dedicates himself to various advertising and publicity appointments.

Without a big sponsor is nowadays hardly possible to exist as a prospective professional. So followed what had to follow. The former Italian sporting goods manufacturer FILA is equipping the Borg-Youngster. Björn Borg also appeared with the FILA logo on his chest at the time and helped the company to attract a great deal of attention.

Leo is currently on the ITF Tour and celebrated his first successes there. The 15-year-old won the Swedish U16 Championship in Stockholm and is currently ranked 459th in the ITF ranking.

In order to be able to step out of the shadow of his father, the youngest son of the Borg clan must be successful. It doesn’t have to be five Wimbledon titles or six French Open trophies. Only failure should be avoided. But the tall blonde boy still has enough time for that.

In times of Zverevs, Khachanovs and Rublevs the development and the breakthrough may take a little longer. The early Nadal successes are history, too strong is the descendant guild of capable tennis players. An example of this is Alexander Zverev’s victory in the ATP finals, who, at the age of 21, had probably struck at exactly the right age.

So Leo Borg doesn’t run out of time, but the way for him to become a professional is harder than that of his opponents – Father Björn also sees it this way: “He will always be compared to me and that is a kind of burden for him. Burden or incentive? Why shouldn’t Leo take the positive out of this? Consult with his capable father and get valuable, experienced tips. Maybe “I do my thing” is out of place here.

He said he didn’t want to put any pressure on him and make his son’s life as easy as possible. That was his task, Björn Borg explained. An attitude that also Leo really appreciates and seems to approach with a clear mind.

In autumn, Borg-Spross was presented with a prize of around 11,000 euros at the ATP tournament in Stockholm because it reached at least the finals in each of the four highest national tournaments. Afterwards Leo said: “I understand all this already. I’ve always known who my father was and is.”

A mature attitude on which to build. In any case, it will be exciting to see where the development of the young Borg will go. Forecasts are far from being made here.