ATP: #ThrowbackThursday:”Old Swede”

In #ThrowbackThursday legendary or almost forgotten tennis players will be relighted and told what the ex-stars are doing these days.

In 1972, a 15-year-old Swede first attracted attention for the first time.The “Blondschopf” from Stockholm won his first Davis Cup match for Sweden against the New Zealand top player Onny Parun after a 2-0 setback.The beginning of the great career of Björn Rune Borg.

Already at a young age, Borg distinguished his stoic, emotionless appearance on the tennis courts – the nickname “Ice-Borg” quickly became a fitting name.The reason for his calmness lies in his youth – there was not much to see of the court’s reflection.In his youth Borg was considered an agitator and was once thrown off the club grounds because of his behaviour.Borg later explained that he would never again be able to say that this would never happen to him again, and that he would just keep his mouth shut on the tennis court.

In addition to his young age and coolness, Borg revolutionized tennis through his style of playing.The hitherto rigid and unchanged “shake-hands”grip position was transformed by the Swede into a top-spin grip.Both on the forehand and on the backhand, which was still rare at that time, Borg caused a stir – turning the bat in different ways resembled an unlucky thing.Success should justify Borg.With the “Western”grip on the forehand and the “Eastern”grip on the backhand, he despaired his opponents in rows.In his first professional season in 1973, his development helped him to reach two eighth-finals in the Australian and French Open, as well as the Wimbledon quarter-finals.The Swede with the long, blond hair and the striking headband was now well-known to all tennis connoisseurs.

Only one year later, the clay court specialist crowned himself king of Paris and celebrated his first major triumph – ten more were to follow.Ice Man “won five Wimbledon titles in total and raced six times (1974,1975 and 1978-1981) the Coupe des Mousquetaires at the French Open.Especially in the 16th century.Arrondissement in Paris, Borg was considered unbeatable and was celebrated as the “sand court king” – this title he gave to Rafael Nadal, who won his tenth title in Roland Garros in 2017.

A total of 64 titles are in the showcase of the now 61-year-old.However, the Swedish superstar’s career took an unexpected and tragic turn.At the age of 26, Borg took a four-month break from tennis and ended his career shortly afterwards.At that time, the term “burnout” was unknown, but Borg experienced exactly that.Early fame and constant attention cost Borg a long career.

The man from Stockholm has not lost his calm and reserved manner until today.At the end of his career, the two-time winner of the prestigious Swedish Svenska-Dagbladet gold medal – but he never completely disappeared from the scene.

Already in 1980 Borg published his first book “Mein Spiel, mein Leben”(My Game, My Life).As a businessman, however, the former number one in the world ranking didn’t look so skillful.Trials in the sporting goods sector ended in bankruptcy in 1996.A comeback attempt by the Swede also failed.However, in the following years, it gained more and more value as an advertising medium and is now considered one of the ambassadors of the sport.

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Only recently, Borg stepped back into the limelight of the stars and faces of tennis.At the Laver Cup in Prague he was captain of Team Europa and celebrated the victory of the first edition of the show tournament alongside Roger Federer, Nadal and Dominic Thiem:”I was very nervous on the bench, probably even more than the guys who were on the field,”Borg explained after the decisive point win.

Borg was also honored on the big screen together with his former permanent rival John McEnroe.On the 19th.October 2017 the film “Borg vs. McEnroe” will be released in German cinemas.The close rivalry between the two is illustrated.The Sports Illustrated honored the member of the Tennis Hall of Fame with the comparison of superstars from other areas:”He was bigger than the game.He was one like Liz Tayler or Elvis Presley,”wrote the Livestyle magazine in 1991.And this comparison fits: Borg is one of the greatest legends in tennis and revolutionized the sport with the yellow felt ball like no other.