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{{Short description|Swedish tennis player (born 1956)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
| name = Björn Borg
| fullname = Björn Rune Borg
| image = [[file:Bjorn Borg en 2014.jpg|frameless|upright=.8]]
| caption = Borg in 2014
| residence = [[Norrmalm (borough)|Norrmalm]], Stockholm, Sweden
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1956|6|6}}
| birth_place = [[Stockholm]], Sweden
| country = {{flagu|Sweden}}
| height = {{height|m=1.80}}<ref name=ATP>{{cite web|title=Bjorn Borg {{!}} Overview {{!}} ATP Tour {{!}} Tennis|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/players/bjorn-borg/b058/overview|work=[[ATP Tour]]|access-date=21 April 2025|archive-date=19 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119170446/https://www.atptour.com/en/players/bjorn-borg/b058/overview/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| turnedpro = 1973 (comeback in 1991)
| retired = 1984, 1993
| coach = [[Lennart Bergelin]] (1971–1983)<br />Ron Thatcher (1991–1993)
| plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
| careerprizemoney = US$3,655,751
| tennishofyear = 1987
| tennishofid = bjorn-borg
| singlesrecord = {{tennis record|won=654|lost=140}} (82.4%)
| singlestitles = 66 ([[Open Era tennis records – men's singles#All tournaments|8th in the Open Era]])
| highestsinglesranking = [[List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players|No. '''1''']] (23 August 1977)
| AustralianOpenresult = 3R ([[1974 Australian Open – Men's singles|1974]])
| FrenchOpenresult = '''W''' ([[1974 French Open – Men's singles|1974]], [[1975 French Open – Men's singles|1975]], [[1978 French Open – Men's singles|1978]], [[1979 French Open – Men's singles|1979]], [[1980 French Open – Men's singles|1980]], [[1981 French Open – Men's singles|1981]])
| Wimbledonresult = '''W''' ([[1976 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1976]], [[1977 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1977]], [[1978 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1978]], [[1979 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1979]], [[1980 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1980]])
| USOpenresult = F ([[1976 US Open – Men's singles|1976]], [[1978 US Open – Men's singles|1978]], [[1980 US Open – Men's singles|1980]], [[1981 US Open – Men's singles|1981]])
| Othertournaments = Yes
| MastersCupresult = '''W''' ([[1979 Colgate-Palmolive Masters – Singles|1979]], [[1980 Volvo Masters – Singles|1980]])
| WCTFinalsresult = '''W''' ([[1976 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles|1976]])
| Promajors = yes
| USProresult = '''W''' ([[U.S. Pro Tennis Championships draws, 1946–1967#1964|1974]], [[U.S. Pro Tennis Championships draws, 1946–1967#1966|1975]], [[U.S. Pro Tennis Championships draws, 1946–1967#1967|1976]])
| WembleyProresult = '''W''' ([[Wembley Championship#1964|1977]])
| doublesrecord = 86–81 (51.2%)
| doublestitles = 4
| highestdoublesranking =
| AustralianOpenDoublesresult = 3R (1973)
| FrenchOpenDoublesresult = SF (1974, 1975)
| WimbledonDoublesresult = 3R (1976)
| USOpenDoublesresult = 3R (1975)
| Team = yes
| DavisCupresult = '''W''' (1975)
}}
'''Björn Rune Borg''' ({{IPA|sv|ˈbjœːɳ ˈbɔrj|lang|sv-Björn Borg.ogg}}; born 6 June 1956) is a Swedish former professional [[tennis]] player. He was ranked as the [[List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players|world No. 1]] in men's singles by the [[Association of Tennis Professionals]] (ATP) for 109 weeks. Borg won 66 singles titles during his career, including eleven [[Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments|major]]s: six at the [[French Open]] and five consecutively at [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]]. Borg was ATP Player of the Year from 1976 to 1980, the [[List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Year-end No. 1 players|year-end No. 1]] in the ATP rankings in 1979 and 1980, and the ITF World Champion from 1978 to 1980.
A teenage sensation at the start of his career, Borg experienced unprecedented stardom and consistent success that helped propel the rising popularity of tennis during the 1970s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2006-05-24-borg-cover_x.htm |title=Borg still making the shots |author=Douglas Robson |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=25 May 2006 |access-date=24 August 2017 |archive-date=2 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702075238/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2006-05-24-borg-cover_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Between 1974 and 1981, Borg claimed 11 major singles titles, the most by any man in the [[Open Era]] up to that point. His rivalries with [[Jimmy Connors]] and [[John McEnroe]] became cultural touchstones beyond the world of tennis, with [[Borg–McEnroe rivalry|the latter rivalry]] peaking at the [[1980 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles final|1980 Wimbledon final]], considered one of the greatest matches ever played.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/1980-wimbledon-final-bjorn-borg-john-mcenroe-pinnacle-rivalry-woodstock-era|title=1980: THE FIVE-SET FINAL BETWEEN BJORN BORG AND JOHN MCENROE WAS THE PINNACLE OF THEIR RIVALRY—AND THE WOODSTOCK OF THEIR TENNIS ERA|date=20 June 2022|access-date=5 July 2022|archive-date=5 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705191112/https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/1980-wimbledon-final-bjorn-borg-john-mcenroe-pinnacle-rivalry-woodstock-era|url-status=live}}</ref> Following defeats to McEnroe in the [[1981 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1981 Wimbledon]] and [[1981 US Open – Men's singles|US Open]] finals, Borg unexpectedly retired from tennis at the age of 25. He made a brief and unsuccessful comeback in 1991.
Borg won four consecutive French Open titles (1978–81) and was undefeated in six French Open finals. He is the only man to achieve the [[Grand Slam (tennis)#Channel Slam|Channel Slam]] three times. He won three major titles [[List of Grand Slam and related tennis records#Won a title without losing a set|without losing a set]] during those tournaments. However, he never won the US Open despite four runner-up finishes. Borg also won three [[Open Era tennis records – men's singles#Year-end championships|year-end championships]] and 16 [[Grand Prix Super Series]] titles. In 1979, Borg became the first player to earn more than US$1 million in prize money in a single season. Overall, he set [[#Records|numerous records]], some of which still stand.
Borg is widely considered one of the all-time greats of the sport, and was ranked by ''[[Tennis (magazine)|Tennis]]'' magazine as the sixth-greatest male player of the Open Era.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/the-50-greatest-players-of-the-open-era-m-no-1-roger-federer|title=THE 50 GREATEST PLAYERS OF THE OPEN ERA|date=2 March 2018|access-date=5 July 2022|archive-date=5 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705191654/https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/the-50-greatest-players-of-the-open-era-m-no-1-roger-federer|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Early life==
Björn Borg was born in [[Stockholm]], Sweden, on 6 June 1956, the only child of Rune (1932–2008), an electrician, and Margaretha Borg (b. 1934).<ref name=pears /> He grew up in nearby [[Södertälje]]. As a child, Borg became fascinated with a golden tennis racket that his father won at a [[table-tennis]] tournament. His father gave him the racket, beginning his tennis career.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://us.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1107/14/oc.01.html |work=CNN |title=Open Court |date=14 July 2011 |access-date=24 February 2023 |archive-date=24 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224193137/http://us.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1107/14/oc.01.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
A player of great athleticism and endurance, he had a distinctive style and appearance—[[bowlegged]] and very fast. His muscularity allowed him to put heavy topspin on both his forehand and two-handed backhand. He followed [[Jimmy Connors]] in using the two-handed backhand. By the time he was 13, he was beating the best of Sweden's under-18 players, and Davis Cup captain [[Lennart Bergelin]] (who served as Borg's primary coach throughout his professional career) cautioned against anyone trying to change Borg's rough-looking, jerky strokes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/sport/bjorn-borg-ar-bast-av-dem-alla/ |title=Björn Borg är bäst av dem alla |work=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |date=23 December 2014 |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053956/http://www.dn.se/sport/bjorn-borg-ar-bast-av-dem-alla/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Career==
===1972–73 – Davis Cup debut and first year on the tour===
[[File:Bjorn Borg en 1974.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Borg in 1974]]
At the age of 15, Borg represented Sweden in the 1972 [[Davis Cup]] and won his debut singles rubber in five sets against [[Onny Parun]] of New Zealand. Later that year, he won the Wimbledon junior singles title, recovering from a 5–2 deficit in the final set to overcome Britain's [[Buster Mottram]]. Then in December, he won the [[Dunlop Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl Junior Championship]] for boys 18 and under after a straight-sets victory in the final over [[Vitas Gerulaitis]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Sam Pollak |title=Californian tires at end, loses to Sweden's Borg |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WdVWAAAAIBAJ&pg=3638%2C2824328 |work=The Miami News |date=28 December 1972 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Jim Martz |title=Orange Bowl Celebrates 60th Anniversary |url=http://www.usta.com/Archive/News/Juniors/Junior/383333_Orange_Bowl_Celebrates_60th_Anniversary/ |website=usta.com |publisher=USTA |date=25 May 2008 |access-date=4 November 2014 |archive-date=9 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909031440/https://www.usta.com/Archive/News/Juniors/Junior/383333_Orange_Bowl_Celebrates_60th_Anniversary/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Borg joined the professional circuit in 1973, and reached his first singles final in April at the [[1973 Monte Carlo Open|Monte Carlo Open]], which he lost to [[Ilie Năstase]].<ref name=wot74>{{cite book|title=World of Tennis '74|year=1974|publisher=Queen Anne Press|___location=London|isbn=9780362001686|pages=330, 331|editor=John Barrett|editor-link=John Barrett (tennis)}}</ref> He was unseeded at his first [[1973 French Open|French Open]] and reached the fourth round where he lost in four sets to eighth-seeded [[Adriano Panatta]]. Borg was seeded sixth at his first [[1973 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon Championships]], in large part due to a [[1973 Wimbledon Championships#ATP boycott|boycott by the ATP]], and reached the quarterfinal, where he was defeated in a five-set match by [[Roger Taylor (tennis)|Roger Taylor]].<ref name=wot1974>{{cite book|title=World of Tennis '74|year=1974|publisher=Queen Anne|___location=London|isbn=978-0362001686|pages=15–17, 30–32, 45–47|editor=John Barrett|editor-link=John Barrett (tennis)}}</ref> In the second half of 1973, he was runner-up in [[1973 Pacific Coast Open|San Francisco]], [[1973 Stockholm Open|Stockholm]] and [[1973 South American Open (tennis)|Buenos Aires]] and finished the year ranked No. 18.<ref name=wot74/><ref>{{cite web|title=ATP Singles Ranking|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/rankings/singles?rankDate=1973-12-14&rankRange=0-100|website=[[Association of Tennis Professionals]] (ATP)|access-date=27 July 2017|archive-date=21 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921000621/http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/rankings/singles?rankDate=1973-12-14&rankRange=0-100|url-status=live}}</ref>
===1974 – First French Open title===
[[File:ABN-wereldtennistoernooi in Rotterdam Tom Okker (l) en Bjorn Borg (r) na afloop, Bestanddeelnr 927-7842.jpg|thumb|Borg (right) playing [[Tom Okker]] at [[Rotterdam Open]] in 1975]]
Borg made his only appearance at the Australian Open at the age of 17, and reached the third round, where he lost in straight sets to eventual finalist [[Phil Dent]]. In January, he won his first career singles title at the [[1974 New Zealand Open|New Zealand Open]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Sports Whirl|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NA5OAAAAIBAJ&pg=6488%2C1746137|work=[[The Virgin Islands Daily News]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=17 January 1974|page=23|via=[[Google News Archive]]|access-date=8 November 2020|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704200654/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NA5OAAAAIBAJ&pg=6488%2C1746137|url-status=live}}</ref> followed by titles in [[1974 Rothmans International Tennis Tournament|London]] and [[São Paulo WCT|São Paulo]] in February and March respectively. Just before his 18th birthday in June [[1974 French Open – Men's singles|1974]], Borg won his first top-level singles title at the [[Rome Masters|Italian Open]], defeating defending champion and top-seeded [[Ilie Năstase]] in the final and becoming its youngest winner.<ref name=wot75>{{cite book|title=World of Tennis '75: a BP and Commercial Union yearbook|year=1975|publisher=Queen Anne Press|___location=London|isbn=9780362002171|pages=75–78|editor=John Barrett|editor-link=John Barrett (tennis)}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Borg Surprises Nastase for Title|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R2gtAAAAIBAJ&pg=1466%2C772517|newspaper=Schenectady Gazette|date=4 June 1974|access-date=8 November 2020|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704200657/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=R2gtAAAAIBAJ&pg=1466%2C772517|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=sept>{{cite news|title=Tireless Borg halts Nastase for crown|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2vdRAAAAIBAJ&pg=2263%2C3252675|newspaper=The St. Petersburg Times|date=4 June 1974|access-date=8 November 2020|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704200655/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2vdRAAAAIBAJ&pg=2263%2C3252675|url-status=live}}</ref> Two weeks later, he won the singles title at the [[French Open]], his first [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] tournament title, defeating [[Manuel Orantes]] in the final in five sets. Barely 18, Borg was the youngest-ever male French Open champion up to that point. At Wimbledon, Borg lost in the third round to Ismael El Shafei in straight sets in a match in which "Borg quit trying mid-way through the second set".<ref name=":borg1974wim">{{cite news|date=2 July 1974|title=El Shafei downs youthful Borg|newspaper=The Press-Courier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v8VKAAAAIBAJ&lpg=PA7&dq=Wimbledon%20borg%20shafei&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=Wimbledon%20borg%20shafei&f=false|accessdate=7 August 2025}}</ref> At the US Open, Borg lost in the second round to Vijay Amitraj in five sets which was "one of the memorable matches on the famed center court- a duel of strategy and stroke making".<ref name=":borg1974us">{{cite news|date=1 September 1974|title=Vijay Amritraj defeats Borg|newspaper=Times Daily|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HxssAAAAIBAJ&lpg=PA15&dq=Borg%20amritraj%20forest%20hills&pg=PA15#v=onepage&q=Borg%20amritraj%20forest%20hills&f=false|accessdate=7 August 2025}}</ref>
===1975 – Retained French Open title===
[[File:Borg vilas roland garros.jpg|thumb|upright|Borg (left) celebrating his win over [[Guillermo Vilas]] at the [[French Open]] final in 1975]]
In early 1975, Borg defeated [[Rod Laver]], then 36 years old, in a semifinal of the [[World Championship Tennis]] (WCT) finals in [[Dallas]], Texas, in five sets. Borg subsequently lost to [[Arthur Ashe]] in the final.
Borg retained his French Open title in [[1975 French Open – Men's singles|1975]], beating [[Guillermo Vilas]] in the final in straight sets.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110642392 |title=Borg's second French win |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=49 |issue=14,094 |date=17 June 1975 |page=13 |via=[[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=27 July 2017 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704200701/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110642392 |url-status=live }}</ref> Borg then reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual champion Ashe. Borg did not lose another match at Wimbledon until 1981. Borg lost in the semi finals of the US Open on clay in straight sets to Connors. Connors' "tremendous power when he found himself behind, blunted the 19-year-old Swede's topspin and balloon ball hitting".<ref name=":borg1975us">{{cite news|date=7 September 1975|title=Connors moves into finals|newspaper=The Daily Sentinel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yOhDAAAAIBAJ&lpg=PA9&dq=Borg%20connors&pg=PA9#v=onepage&q=Borg%20connors&f=false|accessdate=7 August 2025}}</ref> Borg won two singles and one doubles rubber in the 1975 Davis Cup final, as Sweden beat [[Czechoslovakia]] 3–2. With these singles wins, Borg had won 19 consecutive Davis Cup singles rubbers since 1973. That was already a record at the time. However, Borg never lost another Davis Cup singles rubber, and, by the end of his career, he had stretched that winning streak to 33.<ref name=Daviscup>{{cite web |url=https://www.daviscup.com/en/news/224439.aspx |date=3 March 2016 |title=Davis Cup – Baghdatis breaks Borg's record in Europe Zone Group III |access-date=10 July 2017 |archive-date=28 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728053024/https://www.daviscup.com/en/news/224439.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
===1976 – First Wimbledon title===
In early 1976, Borg won the [[World Championship Tennis]] year-end [[WCT Finals]] in [[Dallas]], Texas, with a four-set victory over [[Guillermo Vilas]] in the final. At the 1976 French Open, Borg lost to the Italian [[Adriano Panatta]], who remains the only player to defeat Borg at this tournament.<ref name=":panatta">{{cite news|date=26 May 1981|title=Borg returns to Paris in fine form|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/newspage/387328796/|accessdate=26 September 2024}}</ref> Panatta did it twice: in the fourth round in 1973, and in the 1976 quarterfinals. Borg won Wimbledon in [[1976 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1976]] without losing a set, defeating the favored [[Ilie Năstase]] in the final. Borg became the youngest male Wimbledon singles champion since Sidney Wood in 1931<ref name=":swood">{{cite news|date=4 July 1976|title=Borg soothes his pain with a Wimbledon title|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/newspage/382993779/|accessdate=26 September 2024}}</ref> at 20 years and 1 month (a record subsequently broken by [[Boris Becker]], who won Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985). Năstase later said, "We're playing tennis and he's playing something else."<ref name="tennishof">{{Cite web|title=Bjorn Borg|url=https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/bjorn-borg|access-date=26 September 2024|publisher=Tennis Hall of Fame}}</ref> Borg also reached the final of the [[1976 US Open – Men's singles|1976]] U.S. Open, which was then being played on clay courts. Borg lost in four sets to world no. 1 [[Jimmy Connors]]. Borg was awarded the ATP Player of the Year award and ranked world No. 1 by ''Tennis Magazine'' (France).<ref>Tennis Magazine (France) (March 1977)</ref>
===1977 – Second Wimbledon title and world No.1 ranking===
In February 1977 [[World Championship Tennis]] (WCT) sued Borg and his management company [[IMG (company)|IMG]] claiming that Borg had committed a breach of contract by electing to participate in the competing [[1977 Grand Prix (tennis)|1977 Grand Prix circuit]] instead of the [[1977 World Championship Tennis circuit|WCT circuit]]. Borg eventually played, and won, a single WCT event, the Monte Carlo WCT.<ref>{{cite news|title=W.C.T. Sues Borg and Colgate, Alleging a Breach of Contract|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50C11FB3B5F167493C7A91789D85F438785F9|newspaper=The New York Times|date=4 February 1977}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Borg Being Sued|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r4UwAAAAIBAJ&pg=5540%2C2449736|newspaper=Ludington Daily News|date=2 February 1977|access-date=8 November 2020|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704201157/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r4UwAAAAIBAJ&pg=5540%2C2449736|url-status=live}}</ref> An out-of-court settlement was reached whereby Borg committed to play six or eight WCT events in 1978 which were then part of the [[1978 Grand Prix (tennis)|Grand Prix circuit]].<ref name="wapo">{{cite news|author1=Barry Lorge|title=Peace Still Eludes Men's Pro Tennis|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1978/04/13/peace-still-eludes-mens-pro-tennis/18fc28e9-9f90-4c99-ba46-d453146cd609/|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=13 April 1978|access-date=25 July 2017|archive-date=18 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018224808/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1978/04/13/peace-still-eludes-mens-pro-tennis/18fc28e9-9f90-4c99-ba46-d453146cd609/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Borg skipped the French Open in 1977 because he was under contract with [[World Team Tennis|WTT]], but he repeated his Wimbledon triumph, although this time he was pushed much harder. He defeated his good friend [[Vitas Gerulaitis]] in a semifinal in five sets.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/wimbledon_history/3742097.stm "Classic Matches: Borg v Gerulaitis"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211230528/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/wimbledon_history/3742097.stm |date=11 February 2006 }}, [[BBC Sport]], 31 May 2004</ref> His match with Gerulaitis was deemed by Wimbledon itself as "probably the greatest gentlemen's singles match played at Wimbledon".<ref>{{Cite web |title=1977 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES SEMI-FINALS |url=https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/matcharchive/1977W1601.html |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=www.wimbledon.com}}</ref> In the [[1977 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1977]] final Borg was pushed to five sets for the third time in the tournament, this time by Connors.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110853131 |title=Bjorn Borg wins thrilling final |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=51 |issue=14,819 |date=4 July 1977 |page=14 |via=[[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=27 July 2017 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704201220/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110853131 |url-status=live }}</ref> The win propelled Borg to the No. 1 ranking in the ATP point system, albeit for just one week in August. Prior to the 1977 US Open, Borg aggravated a shoulder injury while waterskiing with Vitas Gerulaitis. This injury ultimately forced him to retire from the Open during a Round of 16 match vs [[Dick Stockton (tennis)|Dick Stockton]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Head 2 Head: Dick Stockton vs Bjorn Borg|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/fedex-head-2-head/dick-stockton-vs-bjorn-borg/S090/B058|website=ATP World Tour|access-date=21 June 2016|archive-date=18 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818170838/http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/players/fedex-head-2-head/dick-stockton-vs-bjorn-borg/S090/B058|url-status=live}}</ref> Borg was rated number one for 1977 by ''Tennis Magazine'' (France),<ref>Tennis Magazine (France) (March 1978)</ref> ''Tennis Magazine'' (U.S.),<ref>Tennis Magazine US ranking</ref> Barry Lorge,<ref>{{cite news|title=Borg gets nod as tennis player of '77|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1978/01/10/borg-gets-nod-as-tennis-player-of-77/393d1693-390e-4764-a902-7d0382e195a1|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=10 January 1978|access-date=18 September 2019|archive-date=17 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217094511/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1978/01/10/borg-gets-nod-as-tennis-player-of-77/393d1693-390e-4764-a902-7d0382e195a1/|url-status=live}}</ref> Lance Tingay,<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/worldoftennis1990000unse/|title=World Of Tennis|publisher=Collins Willow|year=1990|isbn=9780002183550|editor-last=Barrett|editor-first=John|editor-link=John Barrett (tennis)|___location=London|pages=235–237}}</ref> Rino Tommasi,<ref name="Almanacco1989 694">Almanacco illustrato del tennis 1989, Edizioni Panini, p.694</ref> Judith Elian<ref name="quidet1989">{{cite book |last1=Quidet |first1=Christian |title=La Fabuleuse Histoire du Tennis |date=1989 |publisher=Nathan |___location=Paris |isbn=9782092864388 |page=772 |language=French }}</ref> and Rod Laver.<ref name=":5">{{cite news|author1=Terry Belford|date=8 July 1978|title=Money aside, Major, who are the very best?|page=114|work=[[The Montreal Gazette]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19780708&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=18 September 2019|archive-date=23 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723152629/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Fr8DH2VBP9sC&dat=19780708&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Borg was also named "ATP Player of the Year".<ref>{{cite news |title=Tennis pros cite Borg, Gullikson |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qNkVAAAAIBAJ&dq=jaks%20tennis&hl=en&pg=7135%2C2238670 |work=[[The Milwaukee Sentinel]] |date=13 September 1977 |page=2, part 2 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Through 1977, he had never lost to a player younger than himself.
===1978 – French and Wimbledon titles===
Borg was at the height of his career from 1978 through 1980, completing the French Open-Wimbledon double all three years. In [[1978 French Open – Men's singles|1978]], Borg won the French Open with a win over Vilas in the final. Borg did not drop a set during the tournament, a feat only he, Năstase (in 1973), and [[Rafael Nadal]] (in 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2020) have accomplished at the French Open during the open era. In round one of [[1978 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|Wimbledon]] Borg was 2 sets to 1 down, 3-1 down and 30-40 on his serve, one point from going a double break down against the big serving 6 feet 7 inches tall [[Victor Amaya]]. Borg came back to win in five sets.<ref name=":borama1978wim">{{cite news|date=27 June 1978|title=He bowed reluctantly|newspaper=The Evening Independent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6hRAAAAIBAJ&lpg=PA15&dq=Borg%20amaya%20wimbledon&pg=PA15#v=onepage&q=Borg%20amaya%20wimbledon&f=false|accessdate=31 July 2025}}</ref> Borg beat Connors in straight sets in the final. At the [[1978 US Open – Men's singles|1978]] US Open, now held on hard courts in Flushing Meadow, New York, he lost the final in straight sets to Connors. Borg was suffering from a bad blister on his thumb that required pre-match injections.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1978/09/11/page/85/article/hot-connors-blisters-borg-for-open-title |title=Hot Connors blisters Borg |date=11 September 1978 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=14 March 2017 |archive-date=16 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113228/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1978/09/11/page/85/article/hot-connors-blisters-borg-for-open-title/ |url-status=live }}</ref> That autumn, Borg faced [[John McEnroe]] for the first time in a semifinal of the Stockholm Open, and lost. Borg was named ATP Player of the Year<ref name="atp">{{Cite web|title=ATP Awards Honour Roll {{!}} ATP Tour {{!}} Tennis|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-awards-honour-roll|url-status=live|access-date=9 November 2021|publisher=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)|archive-date=21 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121022012/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-awards-honour-roll}}</ref> and was the first ITF World Champion.<ref name="itf">{{cite web|title=ITF World Champions|url=https://www.itftennis.com/en/about-us/itf-events/itf-world-champions-awards/past-champions/|url-status=live|access-date=18 November 2021|publisher=[[International Tennis Federation]]|archive-date=18 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118123644/https://www.itftennis.com/en/about-us/itf-events/itf-world-champions-awards/past-champions/}}</ref>
===1979 – French and Wimbledon titles and year-end No. 1 ranking===
[[File:Björn Borg (1979) cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Borg playing a double-handed backhand shot at the [[1979 ABN World Tennis Tournament]]]]
Borg lost to McEnroe again in four sets in the final of the 1979 WCT Finals but was now overtaking Connors for the top ranking. Borg established himself firmly in the top spot with his fourth French Open singles title and fourth straight Wimbledon singles title, defeating Connors in a straight-set semifinal at the latter tournament. At the [[1979 French Open – Men's singles|1979]] French Open, Borg defeated big-serving [[Víctor Pecci]] in a four-set final.<ref name=":borpec1979">{{cite news|date=11 June 1979|title=Borg retains French Open title|newspaper=Bangor Daily News|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CwU1AAAAIBAJ&lpg=PA49&dq=Borg%20pecci&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q=Borg%20pecci&f=false|accessdate=25 August 2025}}</ref> In the [[1979 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1979]] Wimbledon final Borg came from behind to overcome an even bigger server, [[Roscoe Tanner]] in five sets, admitting afterwards that "at the end of the match I have never been so nervous in my whole life".<ref name=":bortan1979wim">{{cite news|date=8 July 1979|title=Four in a row!|newspaper=Times Daily|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9RQsAAAAIBAJ&lpg=PA11&dq=Borg%20tanner%20wimbledon&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q=Borg%20tanner%20wimbledon&f=false|accessdate=30 July 2025}}</ref> Borg was upset by Tanner at the US Open, in a four-set quarterfinal played under the lights. At the season-ending [[Tennis Masters Cup|Masters]] tournament in January 1980, Borg survived a close semifinal against McEnroe. He then beat Gerulaitis in straight sets, winning his first Masters and first title in New York. Borg finished the year at No. 1 in the ATP Point rankings and was considered the No. 1 player in the world by most authorities.<ref name="atp"/><ref name="itf"/>
===1980 – French and fifth consecutive Wimbledon title===
[[File:Björn Borg en John McEnroe na afloop, Bestanddeelnr 930-2094.jpg|thumb|Borg (left) playing against [[John McEnroe]] in 1979]]
In June, Borg overcame Gerulaitis, again in straight sets, for his fifth [[1980 French Open – Men's singles|French Open]] title. Again, he did not drop a set during the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110961595 |title=Borg wins French Open |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=54 |issue=16,329 |date=10 June 1980 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia |access-date=27 July 2017 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704201206/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110961595 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Borg then won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, defeating McEnroe in [[1980 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles final|a five-set final]], often cited as the best Wimbledon final ever played.<ref name="aftonbladet.se1">{{cite web |url=http://wwwc.aftonbladet.se/arhundradets/dagar/990705.html |title=Aftonbladet sport: Århundradets Sport |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-date=1 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601023415/https://wwwc.aftonbladet.se/arhundradets/dagar/990705.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="sverigesradio">{{cite news |url=http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=3913&grupp=20314&artikel=3946915 |title=Klassiska referat: Tennis |author=Sveriges Radio |newspaper=Sveriges Radio |date=12 January 2007 |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-date=3 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703034701/http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=3913&grupp=20314&artikel=3946915 |url-status=live }}</ref> Having lost the opening set to an all-out McEnroe assault, Borg took the next two and had two championship points at 5–4 in the fourth. However, McEnroe averted disaster and went on to level the match in Wimbledon's most memorable tiebreaker, which McEnroe won 18–16. In the fourth-set tiebreak, McEnroe saved five match points, and Borg six set points, before McEnroe won the set.<ref name="sverigesradio" /> Björn served first to begin the 5th set and fell behind 0–30. Borg then won 19 straight points on serve in the deciding set and prevailed after 3 hours, 53 minutes.<ref name="aftonbladet.se1" /> Borg himself commented years later that this was the first time that he was afraid that he would lose, as well as feeling that it was the beginning of the end of his dominance.<ref name="sverigesradio" /><ref name="Observer 2007-01-07">{{cite news |first=Tim |last=Adams |title='I can't explain except to say I wanted to play again. It was madness' |date=7 January 2007 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jan/07/tennis.features2 |work=The Observer |access-date=7 July 2008 |___location=London |archive-date=29 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129140102/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jan/07/tennis.features2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In September, [[1980 US Open – Men's singles|1980]] Borg reached the final of the U.S. Open for the third time, losing to John McEnroe in five sets in a match that cemented what had become the greatest contemporary rivalry, albeit short-lived, in men's tennis.
He defeated McEnroe in the final of the 1980 Stockholm Open, and faced him one more time that year, in the round-robin portion of the year-end Masters, actually played in January 1981. With 19,103 fans in attendance, Borg won a deciding third-set tie-break for the second year in a row. Borg then defeated [[Ivan Lendl]] for his second Masters title.<ref name="sverigesradio" /> Borg again finished the year at No. 1 in the ATP Point Rankings and was considered the No. 1 player in the world by most tennis authorities.<ref name="atp"/><ref name="itf"/>
===1981 – Sixth and final French Open title===
Borg won his last Grand Slam title at the French Open in [[1981 French Open – Men's singles|1981]], defeating Lendl in a five-set final. Borg's six French Open Grand Slam titles was a record bettered only by Rafael Nadal in 2012.
In reaching the Wimbledon final in [[1981 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1981]], Borg stretched his winning streak at the [[All England Club]] to a record 41 matches. In a semifinal, Borg was down to Connors by two sets to love, before coming back to win the match. However, Borg's streak was brought to an end by McEnroe, who defeated him in four sets. Years afterward, Borg remarked "And when I lost what shocked me was I wasn't even upset. That was not me: losing a Wimbledon final and not upset. I hate to lose." Borg around that time felt that his desire to play was gone, despite McEnroe's desperate efforts to persuade him not to retire and continue their rivalry.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07"/>
Borg went on to lose to McEnroe at the [[1981 US Open – Men's singles|1981]] US Open. After that defeat, Borg walked off the court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun, and headed straight for the airport.<ref name="sverigesradio" /><ref name="Observer 2007-01-07" /> There are reports that Borg received threats after his semifinal win over Connors. In later years, Borg apologized to McEnroe. The 1981 US Open would be the Swede's last Grand Slam final. Major tournaments and tour organizers were enforcing a new rule; by 1982, that players had to play at least 10 official tournaments per year. However, Borg wanted to curtail his schedule after many years of winning so often. Although he felt in good condition physically, he recognized that the relentless drive to win and defy tour organizers had begun to fade.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07"/>
Borg failed to win the US Open in nine tries, losing four finals, [[1976 US Open – Men's singles|1976]] (the surface was clay that year) and [[1978 US Open – Men's singles|1978]] to [[Jimmy Connors]], and [[1980 US Open – Men's singles|1980]] and [[1981 US Open – Men's singles|1981]] to John McEnroe. The surface was hard court from 1978 onward and Borg reached the final there on hard court on three occasions, in 1978, 1980 and 1981. He led 3–2 in the fifth set of the 1980 final, before losing. That match followed Borg's classic encounter with McEnroe at the 1980 Wimbledon. In 1978, 1979 and 1980, Borg was halfway to a Grand Slam after victories at the French and Wimbledon (the Australian Open being the last Grand Slam tournament of each year at the time) only to falter at Flushing Meadows, the left-handed Roscoe Tanner being his conqueror in 1979.
===1982–91: Retirement===
[[File:Borg commentator.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Borg as a sports commentator at the [[French Open]] in 1983]]
In 1982, Borg played only two tournaments. He lost to [[Yannick Noah]] in the quarterfinals of [[Monte-Carlo Masters|Monte Carlo]] in April and in the same month he lost to [[Dick Stockton (tennis)|Dick Stockton]] in the second round of qualifying at the [[Alan King Tennis Classic]] in [[Las Vegas]].<ref name="Farthing 2020 j154">{{cite web | last=Farthing | first=Tim | title=On this day in history… Bjorn Borg falls in Las Vegas qualifiers | website=Tennishead | date=20 April 2020 | url=https://tennishead.net/on-this-day-in-history-bjorn-borg-falls-in-las-vegas-qualifiers/ | access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref> Nevertheless, Borg's announcement in January 1983 that he was retiring from the game at the age of 26 was a shock to the tennis world. McEnroe tried unsuccessfully to persuade Borg to continue. He did, however, play Monte Carlo again in March 1983, reaching the second round, and Stuttgart in July 1984, losing to [[Henri Leconte]] on both occasions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Borg Loses, 6–3 6–1, in Limited Return |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/18/sports/borg-loses-6-3-6-1-in-limited-return.html |access-date=12 September 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=18 July 1984 |archive-date=12 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912014016/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/18/sports/borg-loses-6-3-6-1-in-limited-return.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Upon retirement, Borg had three residences: a penthouse in Monte Carlo, not far from his [[pro shop]]; a mansion on Long Island, New York and a small island off the Swedish coast.
Borg later bounced back as the owner of the [[Björn Borg (brand)|Björn Borg]] fashion label. In Sweden, his label has become very successful, second only to [[Calvin Klein]].<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bjornborg.com/en/ |title=Index of /en |publisher=Bjornborg.com |date=27 October 2010 |access-date=20 April 2012 |archive-date=3 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503095451/http://www.bjornborg.com/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Attempted comeback===
[[File:Björn Borg.jpg|thumb|upright|Borg in 1991]]
In 1991–1993, Borg attempted a comeback on the men's professional tennis tour, coached by Welsh karate expert Ron Thatcher. Before his 1991 return, Borg grew his hair out as it had been during his previous professional tennis career and he returned to using a wooden racket; he had kept his hair cut and used modern graphite rackets in exhibitions he played during the late 1980s. Borg, however, failed to win a single match. He faced [[Jordi Arrese]] in his first match back, again at Monte Carlo but without practising or playing any exhibition matches and lost in two sets. In his first nine matches, played in 1991 and 1992, Borg failed to win a single set. He fared slightly better in 1993, taking a set off his opponent in each of the three matches he played. He came closest to getting a win in what turned out to be his final tour match, falling to second seed [[Alexander Volkov (tennis)|Alexander Volkov]] 6–4, 3–6, 6–7<sup>(7–9)</sup> at the [[1993 Kremlin Cup – Singles|1993 Kremlin Cup]] in Moscow.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bjorn Borg |url=https://www.geneticmatrix.com/borg-bjorn-human-design-chart.html |website=geneticmatrix.com |publisher=Genetic Matrix |access-date=18 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171618/https://www.geneticmatrix.com/borg-bjorn-human-design-chart.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1992 Borg, aged 35, using a graphite racket, defeated [[John Lloyd (tennis)|John Lloyd]], 37, at the Inglewood Forum Tennis Challenge. Borg later joined the Champions tour, using modern rackets.
==Playing style==
Borg had one of the most distinctive playing styles in the Open Era.<ref name="jonasarnesen">{{cite news |url=http://www.svd.se/borg-ser-tillbaka-pa-sin-tennisrevolution |title=Borg ser tillbaka på sin tennisrevolution |author=Jonas Arnesen |work=SvD.se |date=27 June 2013 |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-date=3 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703031746/http://www.svd.se/borg-ser-tillbaka-pa-sin-tennisrevolution |url-status=live }}</ref> He played from the baseline, with powerful ground-strokes. His highly unorthodox backhand involved taking his racket back with both hands but actually generating his power with his dominant right hand, letting go of the grip with his left hand around point of contact, and following through with his swing as a one-hander.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150703004013/http://www.slagproffset.se/Tennisboken/Analys%20av%20bra%20spelares%20teknik%20-%20del%20II/Servetekniken%20hos%20en%20rekordh%C3%A5llare.html Aanalys av bra spelares teknik – Slagproffset] Retrieved 2 July 2015</ref> He hit the ball hard and high from the back of the court and brought it down with considerable [[topspin]], which made his ground strokes very consistent.<ref name=bbc_legends>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/wimbledon_history/3742099.stm |title=Wimbledon legends: Björn Borg |access-date=20 January 2009 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=31 May 2004 |archive-date=23 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923014804/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/wimbledon_history/3742099.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> There had been other players, particularly [[Rod Laver]] and [[Arthur Ashe]], who played with topspin on both the forehand and backhand, yet Laver and Ashe used topspin only as a way to mix up their shots to pass their opponents at the net easily. Borg was one of the first top players to use heavy topspin on his shots consistently.<ref name="jonasarnesen" />
Complementing his consistent ground-strokes was his fitness. Both of these factors allowed Borg to be dominant at the French Open.<ref name="Dagens Nyheter">{{cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/sport/johan-esk-han-ar-solklar-etta-pa-150-listan/ |title=Johan Esk: Han är solklar etta på 150-listan |work=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |date=23 December 2014 |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-date=12 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612162432/http://www.dn.se/sport/johan-esk-han-ar-solklar-etta-pa-150-listan/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
One of the factors that made Borg unique was his dominance on the grass courts of Wimbledon, where, since World War II, baseliners did not usually succeed. Some experts attributed his dominance on this surface to his consistency, an underrated serve, equally underrated volleys, and his adaptation to grass courts. Against the best players, he almost always served-and-volleyed on his first serves, while he naturally played from the baseline after his second serves.<ref name="Dagens Nyheter" /><ref name="aftonbladet.se">{{cite web |url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/tennis/article19119729.ab |title=Största ögonblicket i idrottshistorien... |work=Aftonbladet |date=5 July 2014 |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-date=3 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703131127/http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/tennis/article19119729.ab |url-status=live }}</ref>
Another trait usually associated with Borg was his grace under pressure. His calm court demeanor earned him the nickname of the "Ice Man" or "Ice-Borg".<ref name=UKTelegraph>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/10/25/stborg125.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026003743/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fsport%2F2007%2F10%2F25%2Fstborg125.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 October 2007 |title=Bjorn Borg: My life is perfect |access-date=13 May 2008 |first=Mark |last=Hodgkinson |date=25 October 2007 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |___location=London }}</ref>
Borg's physical conditioning was unrivalled by contemporaries. He could outlast most of his opponents under the most grueling conditions. Contrary to popular belief, however, this was not due to his exceptionally low resting heart rate, often reported to be near 35 beats per minute. In his introduction to Borg's autobiography ''My Life and Game'', Eugene Scott relates that this rumor arose from a medical exam the 18-year-old Borg once took for military service, where his pulse was recorded as 38. Scott goes on to reveal Borg's true pulse rate as "about 50 when he wakes up and around 60 in the afternoon".<ref>Borg, Björn, and Eugene L. Scott. ''My Life and Game'' (1980), page 11</ref> Borg is credited with helping to develop the style of play that has come to dominate the game today.<ref name="aftonbladet.se" />
==Mental approach==
Borg's first wife has said that he was "always very placid and calm, except if he lost a match – he wouldn't talk for at least three days. He couldn't stand losing."<ref name="mirror.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bjorn-love-life-tennis-aces-11216165|title=Bjorn Borg's ex says ace was the love of her life as McEnroe clash film released|first=Peter|last=Robertson|date=22 September 2017|work=Daily Mirror|access-date=23 June 2021|archive-date=4 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704201201/https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/tennis/bjorn-borg-mariana-simionescu-wife-11216165|url-status=live}}</ref> This mental approach changed by 1981, when he has said that when he lost the Wimbledon final "what shocked me was I wasn't even upset".<ref>{{cite news |author=Adams, Tim |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jan/07/tennis.features2 |title='I can't explain except to say I wanted to play again. It was madness' |work=The Guardian |date=7 January 2007 |access-date=14 December 2016 |archive-date=29 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129140102/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jan/07/tennis.features2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Personal life==
[[File:Björn Borg and Mariana Simionescu 1980.jpg|thumb|upright|Borg and [[Mariana Simionescu]] in [[Snagov]], Romania, on 24 July 1980]]
Borg and Romanian tennis pro [[Mariana Simionescu]] began their relationship in 1976<ref name="mirror.co.uk"/> and married in [[Bucharest]] on 24 July 1980.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125612212 |title=TENNIS Bjorn Borg weds in Bucharest |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=54 |issue=16,374 |date=25 July 1980 |page=18 |via=[[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=27 July 2017 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704201203/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/125612212 |url-status=live }}</ref> The marriage ended in divorce in 1984. He fathered a son named Robin in 1985 with the Swedish model [[:sv:Jannike Björling|Jannike Björling]]; Robin had a daughter in 2014. Borg was married to the Italian singer [[Loredana Bertè]] from 1989 to 1993.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07" /> On 8 June 2002, he married his third wife, Patricia Östfeld. Together they have a son, [[Leo Borg|Leo]], born in 2003, who is also a professional tennis player.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hello! |url=http://us.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2002/06/10/borg/ |website=us.hellomagazine.com |publisher=Hello! Magazine |date=10 June 2002 |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=21 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721132819/https://us.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2002/06/10/borg/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Leo Borg är Sveriges bästa 14-åring: "Riktigt intressant"|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/a/Rxy5z5/leo-borg-ar-sveriges-basta-14-aring-riktigt-intressant|newspaper=Aftonbladet|date=9 January 2018|access-date=9 January 2018|archive-date=21 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721103144/https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/a/Rxy5z5/leo-borg-ar-sveriges-basta-14-aring-riktigt-intressant|url-status=live}}</ref>
He narrowly avoided personal bankruptcy when business ventures failed.<ref>{{cite news |first=Duncan |last=Campbell |title=Borg trophies sale highlights aces and double faults of tennis stars |date=4 March 2006 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/mar/04/sport.tennis |work=The Guardian |access-date=7 July 2008 |___location=London |archive-date=4 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104030125/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/mar/04/sport.tennis |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Borg Bankruptcy Sought |date=24 October 1996 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EEDF1030F937A15753C1A960958260 |work=The New York Times |access-date=7 July 2008 |archive-date=4 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704201223/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/24/sports/borg-bankruptcy-sought.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After selling his mansion Astaholm at [[Ingarö]] in the [[Stockholm Archipelago|Stockholm archipelago]] in 2019, Borg moved to an apartment in [[Norrmalm (borough)|Norrmalm]], central Stockholm.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Björn Borgs drömkåk – mitt i stan: "Vad kan gå fel med den här utsikten"|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/vQd0EV|access-date=23 December 2021|website=www.aftonbladet.se|date=11 December 2019|language=sv|archive-date=12 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212063415/https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/vQd0EV|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Film==
In 2017, ''[[Borg vs McEnroe]]'', a biographical film focusing on the rivalry between Borg and McEnroe and the 1980 Wimbledon final, was released. In 2022, interviews about this friendship and rivalry were also featured in "McEnroe", a Showtime documentary.<ref name="s984">{{cite web | last=Davies | first=Dave | title=John McEnroe grapples with his legacy as tennis' bad boy | website=NPR | date=6 September 2022 | url=https://www.npr.org/2022/09/06/1121216567/john-mcenroe-tennis-documentary-showtime | access-date=14 July 2025}}</ref>
==Memorabilia preserved==
In March 2006, [[Bonhams]] Auction House in London announced that it would auction Borg's Wimbledon trophies and two of his winning rackets on 21 June 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2006-03-03-borg-trophies-auction_x.htm |title=Borg to auction off Wimbledon trophies |work=USA Today |date=3 March 2006 |access-date=20 April 2012 |archive-date=3 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803142235/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2006-03-03-borg-trophies-auction_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Several players then called Borg in an attempt to make him reconsider, including Jimmy Connors and [[Andre Agassi]], who volunteered to buy them to keep them together. According to {{Lang|sv|[[Dagens Nyheter]]}} – who had talked to Borg – McEnroe called Borg from New York and asked, "What's up? Have you gone mad?" and said "What the hell are you doing?"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=672&a=532512&previousRenderType=3 |title=McEnroe fick Borg på andra tankar |language=sv |newspaper=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |date=28 March 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930222742/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=672&a=532512&previousRenderType=3 |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> The conversation with McEnroe, paired with pleas from Connors and Agassi, eventually persuaded Borg to buy out the trophies from Bonhams for an undisclosed amount.<ref name="Observer 2007-01-07" />
==Distinctions and honors==
* Borg was ranked by the ATP rankings world no. 1 in six stretches between 1977 and 1981, totaling 109 weeks.
* During his career, he won a total of 77 (64 listed on the [[Association of Tennis Professionals]] website) top-level singles and four doubles titles.
* Borg won the [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality]] Award in 1979.
* Borg was inducted into the [[International Tennis Hall of Fame]] in 1987.
* On 10 December 2006, the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] gave Borg a Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented by [[Boris Becker]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/6220542.stm |title=Sports Personality: The winners |publisher=BBC Sport |date=10 December 2006 |access-date=20 April 2012 |archive-date=2 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202152514/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/6220542.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In December 2014 he was elected Sweden's top sportsperson of all time by the newspaper {{Lang|sv|[[Dagens Nyheter]]}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/sport/bjorn-borg-ar-bast-av-dem-alla/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053956/http://www.dn.se/sport/bjorn-borg-ar-bast-av-dem-alla/ |newspaper=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |title=Björn Borg är bäst av dem alla |first=Johan |last=Esk |date=23 December 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=18 May 2017 |url-status=live |language=sv}}</ref>
==Recognition==
[[File:Björn Borg 2013-11-06 001 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|upright|Borg in 2013]]
With 11 Grand Slam titles, Borg ranks sixth in the list of male tennis players who have won the most Grand Slam singles titles behind [[Novak Djokovic]] (24), [[Rafael Nadal]] (22), [[Roger Federer]] (20), [[Pete Sampras]] (14) and [[Roy Emerson]] (12). The French Open—Wimbledon double he achieved three times consecutively was described by Wimbledon officials as "the most difficult double in tennis".<ref name=Wimbledonrecords /><ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/13/SPGGPL4KST1.DTL "Strokes for Agassi: He belongs among the 10 greatest ever"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809092211/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/13/SPGGPL4KST1.DTL |date=9 August 2007 }}, Bruce Jenkins, ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', 13 September 2006</ref> Only Nadal (in 2008 and 2010), Federer (in 2009), Djokovic (in 2021) and Alcaraz (in 2024) have managed to achieve this double since, and Agassi, Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are the only male players since Borg to have won the French Open and Wimbledon men's singles titles over their career. [[Ilie Năstase]] once said about Borg, "We're playing tennis, and he's playing something else".
Borg is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.<ref>''Tennis'' magazine ranked Borg the [[Tennis (magazine)#"The 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era" (2005)|second best male player]] of the period 1965–2005.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bjorn Borg – Top 10 Men's Tennis Players of All Time |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1009/top.ten.tennis/content.6.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918225840/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1009/top.ten.tennis/content.6.html |archive-date=18 September 2010 |access-date=10 June 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=pears>{{cite news |author=Pears, Tim |title=When he was king |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2005/jun/05/tennis.features1 |work=The Guardian |___location=London |date=5 June 2005 |access-date=14 December 2016 |archive-date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622021836/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2005/jun/05/tennis.features1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In his 1979 autobiography, [[Jack Kramer (tennis)|Jack Kramer]] had already included Borg in his list of the 21 greatest players of all time.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}} And in 2003, [[Bud Collins]] chose Borg as one of his top-five male players of all time.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070309144832/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14489546/ "Top Stars of Tennis"], [[Bud Collins]], [[MSNBC]]</ref> In 1983 [[Fred Perry]] listed his greatest male players of all time and listed them in two categories, before World War 2 and after. Perry's modern best behind Laver: "Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Hoad, Jack Kramer, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, Manuel Santana".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • Page 166|work=The Miami Herald|date=25 April 1983|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/624261568|via=newspapers.com|access-date=10 March 2022|archive-date=10 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310114627/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/624261568/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1988, a panel consisting of [[Bud Collins]], [[Cliff Drysdale]], and [[Butch Buchholz]] ranked their top five male tennis players of all time. Buchholz and Drysdale both listed Borg number two on their lists, behind Rod Laver. Collins listed Borg number five behind Laver, McEnroe, Rosewall and Gonzales.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Miami News from Miami, Florida • Page 11|work=The Miami News|date=10 March 1988|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/298214058|via=newspapers.com|access-date=12 March 2022|archive-date=10 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310124816/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/298214058/|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2008, [[ESPN.com]] asked tennis analysts, writers, and former players to build the perfect open-era player. Borg was the only player mentioned in four categories: defense, footwork, intangibles, and mental toughness—with his mental game and footwork singled out as the best in open-era history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/flash/perfect |title=ESPN – Tennis – The Perfect Player |publisher=ESPN |access-date=20 April 2012 |archive-date=2 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102145002/http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/flash/perfect |url-status=live }}</ref>
Borg never won the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]], losing in the final four times. Borg also did not win the Australian Open, which he only played once in 1974 as a 17-year-old. The only players to defeat Borg in a Grand Slam final were fellow World No. 1 tennis players John McEnroe and [[Jimmy Connors]]. Even though it was then played on grass, a surface where he enjoyed much success, Borg chose to play the Australian Open only once, in 1974, where he lost in the third round. Phil Dent, a contemporary of Borg, has pointed out that skipping Grand Slam tournaments—especially the Australian Open—was not unusual then, before counting Grand Slam titles became the norm.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bonnie DeSimoneArchive |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/french07/columns/story?columnist=desimone_bonnie&id=2882705 |title=Chris Evert owned Roland Garros like no other |publisher=ESPN |date=26 May 2007 |access-date=20 April 2012 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023015601/http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french07/columns/story?columnist=desimone_bonnie&id=2882705 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, another contemporary [[Arthur Ashe]] told ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'', "I think Bjorn could have won the US Open. I think he could have won the Grand Slam, but by the time he left, the historical challenge didn't mean anything. He was bigger than the game. He was like [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]] or [[Liz Taylor]] or somebody."<ref>{{cite web |author=Curry Kirkpatrick |url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140719/index.htm |title=Unbjorn |publisher=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=6 May 1991 |access-date=20 April 2012 |archive-date=1 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401215715/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140719/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Laver Cup==
From 22 to 24 September 2017, Borg was the victorious captain of Team Europe in the first-ever edition of the [[2017 Laver Cup|Laver Cup]], held in [[Prague]], Czech Republic. Borg's Team Europe defeated a rest of the world team, known as Team World, who were coached by John McEnroe. Europe won the contest 15 points to 9, with [[Roger Federer]] achieving a narrow vital victory over [[Nick Kyrgios]] in the last match played.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2017 Results & Leaderboard {{!}} Scores & Results|url=https://lavercup.com/scores-results/2017-results-leaderboard|access-date=26 October 2021|website=Laver Cup|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026051858/https://lavercup.com/scores-results/2017-results-leaderboard|url-status=live}}</ref>
Borg returned as the coach of Team Europe for the [[2018 Laver Cup|second edition]] in [[Chicago]], Illinois from 21 to 23 September 2018. McEnroe also returned as the coach for Team World. Borg again led Europe to victory as [[Alexander Zverev]] defeated [[Kevin Anderson (tennis)|Kevin Anderson]] to secure the title 13–8, after trailing Anderson in the match tiebreak until the last few points.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2018 Results & Leaderboard {{!}} Scores & Results|url=https://lavercup.com/scores-results/2018-results-leaderboard|access-date=26 October 2021|website=Laver Cup|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026051859/https://lavercup.com/scores-results/2018-results-leaderboard|url-status=live}}</ref>
In the tournament's [[2019 Laver Cup|third edition]], held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 20 to 22 September 2019, Borg captained Team Europe to a third consecutive victory, defeating McEnroe's Team World 13 points to 11, with Zverev again winning the deciding match.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2019 Results & Leaderboard {{!}} Scores & Results|url=https://lavercup.com/scores-results/2019-results-leaderboard|access-date=26 October 2021|website=Laver Cup|archive-date=8 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008214636/https://lavercup.com/scores-results/2019-results-leaderboard|url-status=live}}</ref>
The [[2021 Laver Cup|fourth edition]] was held in Boston from 24 to 26 September 2021, having had its original September 2020 date postponed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Borg once again returned as captain of Team Europe, which had a resounding win over Team World, defeating McEnroe's players 14 to 1.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 September 2021|title=Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup|url=https://www.espn.com.au/tennis/story/_/id/32285799/team-europe-easily-defeats-team-world-win-fourth-laver-cup-row|access-date=26 October 2021|website=ESPN|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026051858/https://www.espn.com.au/tennis/story/_/id/32285799/team-europe-easily-defeats-team-world-win-fourth-laver-cup-row|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Career statistics==
{{main|Björn Borg career statistics}}
===Singles performance timeline===
{{Performance key|short=yes|active=no}}
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center;font-size:97%
|-
! Tournament !![[1972 Grand Prix (tennis)|1972]]!![[1973 Grand Prix (tennis)|1973]]!![[1974 Grand Prix (tennis)|1974]]!![[1975 Grand Prix (tennis)|1975]]!![[1976 Grand Prix (tennis)|1976]]!! colspan="2" | [[1977 Grand Prix (tennis)|1977]] !![[1978 Grand Prix (tennis)|1978]]!![[1979 Grand Prix (tennis)|1979]]!![[1980 Grand Prix (tennis)|1980]]!![[1981 Grand Prix (tennis)|1981]]!! {{abbr |SR | Strike rate}} !! {{abbr| W–L | Win–loss}} !! Win %
|-
| colspan="15" style="
|-
| align=left | [[Australian Open]]
| A
| A
|
| A
| A
| A
|A
| A
| A
| A
| A
| 0 / 1
| 1–1
| 50.00
|-
|
| A
|
|
|
|
| colspan="2" | A
|
|
|
|
| 6 / 8
| 49–2
| 96.08
|-
| align=left | [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]]
| A
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 5 / 9
| 51–4
| 92.73
|-
| align=left | [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]
| style="background:#afeeee;"| [[1972 US Open – Men's singles|PR]]*
|
|
| style="background:yellow;"| [[1975 US Open – Men's singles|SF]]
|
| colspan="2" style="background:#afeeee;" | [[1977 US Open – Men's singles|4R]]
|
|
| style="background:thistle;"| [[1980 US Open – Men's singles|F]]
|
| 0 / 10
| 40–10
| 80.00
|-
! style=text-align:left|Win–loss
! 0–1
! 10–3
! 11–3
! 16–2
! 17–2
! colspan="2" | 10–1
! 20–1
! 18–1
! 20–1
! 19–2
! 11 / 28
! 141–17
! 89.24
|-
| colspan="15" style="text-align:left;" |'''Year-end championship'''
|-
| align=left | [[Tennis Masters Cup|The Masters]]{{#tag:ref|The Masters tournaments for 1977, 1979 and 1980 were actually held in January of the following year. In this table, however, the year of the tournament is listed for the preceding year.|group=lower-alpha}}
| A
| A
| style="background:#afeeee;"| [[1974 Commercial Union Assurance Masters – Singles|RR]]
| style="background:thistle;"| [[1975 Commercial Union Assurance Masters – Singles|F]]
| A
| colspan="2" style="background:thistle;" | [[1977 Colgate-Palmolive Masters – Singles|F]]
| A
| style="background:lime;"| [[1979 Colgate-Palmolive Masters – Singles|'''W''']]
| style="background:lime;"| [[1980 Volvo Masters – Singles|'''W''']]
| A
! 2 / 5
! 16–6
! 72.72
|-
| align=left | [[WCT Finals]]
| A
| A
| style="background:thistle;"| [[1974 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles|F]]
| style="background:thistle;"| [[1975 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles|F]]
| style="background:lime;"| [[1976 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles|'''W''']]
| colspan="2" | A
| style="background:yellow;"| [[1978 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles|SF]]
| style="background:thistle;"| [[1979 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles|F]]
| A
| A
! 1 / 5
! 10–3
! 76.92
|-
| colspan="15" |
|-
| align=left | '''Year-end ranking'''
| align=center |
| 18
| style="background:#9cf;"| '''3'''
| style="background:#9cf;"| '''3'''
| style="background:thistle;"| '''2'''
| colspan="2" style="background:#9cf;" | '''3'''
| style="background:thistle;"| '''2'''
| style="background:lime;"| '''1'''
| style="background:lime;"| '''1'''
| style="background:#eee8aa;"| 4
! colspan=3 | $3,655,751
|}
* The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Borg did not play in either.
* The 1972 US Open had a special preliminary round before the main 128 player draw began.
===Records===
{{main|All-time tennis records – men's singles}}
* These records were attained in the entire period of tennis from 1877.<ref>{{cite web|title=All time records excluding exhibitions and challengers|url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=records|website=thetennisbase.com|publisher=The Tennis Base|access-date=19 October 2017|archive-date=25 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625042051/https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=records|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Records in '''bold''' indicate peer-less achievements.
* '''^''' Denotes consecutive streak.
====All-time records====
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Tournament
! Since
! Record accomplished
! Players matched
! References
|-
| '''[[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]]'''||align=center|1972||86.96% (20–3) five set match record||'''Stands alone'''||
|-
| '''[[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]]'''||align=center|1977||3 consecutive Channel Slams, French Open + Wimbledon (1978–80) ^||'''Stands alone'''||<ref>{{cite web|last1=Newman|first1=Paul|title=A history of Paris-Wimbledon double|url=http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2016-05-23/from_the_archives_a_history_of_pariswimbledon_double_winners.html|website=wimbledon.com|publisher=Lawn Tennis Association|access-date=18 July 2016|archive-date=29 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729105734/http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2016-05-23/from_the_archives_a_history_of_pariswimbledon_double_winners.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]]'''||align=center|1978||Grand Slam title won (1978 French Open) with fewest games lost (32)||'''Stands alone'''||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=records&id=VBJABUPWGS|title=All Time Records: Title Grand Slam Tournament Won With Least Games Lost|last1=Garcia|first1=Gabriel|website=app.thetennisbase.com|publisher=Tennismem SL|___location=Madrid, Spain|access-date=17 November 2017|archive-date=18 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118222046/https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=records&id=VBJABUPWGS|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]]'''||align=center|1977||92.73% (51–4) match win percentage ||'''Stands alone'''||<ref name="Bjorn Borg Inductee">{{cite web|title=Bjorn Borg Inductee|url=https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/bjorn-borg/|website=tennisfame.com|publisher=Tennis Hall Fame, Newport, USA|access-date=18 July 2016|archive-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624023537/https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/bjorn-borg/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| '''[[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]]'''||align=center|1977||41 consecutive match wins ||'''Stands alone'''||<ref name="Bjorn Borg Inductee"/>
|}
====Open Era records====
{{main|Open Era tennis records – men's singles}}
* These records were attained in the [[Tennis Open Era|Open Era]] period of tennis from 1968.
* Records in '''bold''' indicate peer-less achievements.
* '''^''' Denotes consecutive streak.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! Time span
! Selected Grand Slam tournament records
! Players matched
! References
|-
| 1976 Wimbledon —<br />1981 French Open || 41% (11/27) title winning percentage || '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1976 Wimbledon —<br />1981 French Open || 89.24% (141–17) career match winning percentage|| '''Stands alone'''||<ref>{{cite web|title=Performance Career Grand Slams From All Countries|work=ATP Tour |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/stats/win-loss-index/career/grandslam/all/|access-date=12 June 2021|archive-date=6 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606095815/https://www.atptour.com/en/stats/win-loss-index/career/grandslam/all/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 1977–1981 || 5 consecutive years with a match winning percentage of 90%+ ^|| '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1978 French Open —<br />1978 US Open || 66.5% (380–191) games winning percentage in 1 season || '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1978 French Open || 79.9% (127–32) games winning in one tournament|| '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1976 Wimbledon —<br />1980 Wimbledon || 6 existing Major champions defeated in finals ||[[Roger Federer]]||{{#tag:ref|The existing Major champions Borg defeated were [[Guillermo Vilas]] ([[1978 French Open – Men's singles|1978 French Open]]), [[Ilie Năstase]] ([[1976 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1976 Wimbledon]]), [[Jimmy Connors]] ([[1977 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1977]] & [[1978 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1978]] Wimbledon), [[Roscoe Tanner]] ([[1979 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1979 Wimbledon]]), [[Vitas Gerulaitis]] ([[1980 French Open – Men's singles|1980 French Open]]) and [[John McEnroe]] ([[1980 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|1980 Wimbledon]]). These champions were competing on the tour at the same time, after Borg had defeated all 6 of them in Major finals, and not retired.|group=lower-alpha}}
|-
| 1976 Wimbledon —<br />1980 Wimbledon || 6 concurrent Major champions defeated in finals ||'''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1980 Wimbledon || Longest tiebreak in a final (by points – 34) vs. John McEnroe || John McEnroe||
|-
| 1974 French Open||Won a Grand Slam final from two sets down.<ref name="comeback">{{cite web |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-roland-garros-2021-final-historic-comeback |title=Djokovic Completes Historic Two-Set Comeback In Roland Garros Final |date=13 June 2021 |publisher=[[Association of Tennis Professionals]] |access-date=15 June 2021 |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613193518/https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-roland-garros-2021-final-historic-comeback |url-status=live }}</ref>||[[Ivan Lendl]]<br />[[Andre Agassi]]<br />[[Gastón Gaudio]]<br />[[Dominic Thiem]]<br />[[Novak Djokovic]]<br />[[Rafael Nadal]]<br />[[Jannik Sinner]]<br />[[Carlos Alcaraz]]||
|}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! Grand Slam tournaments
! Time span
! Records at each Grand Slam tournament
! Players matched
! References
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[French Open]] || 1979–1981 || 41 consecutive sets won ^|| '''Stands alone'''||<ref name=RGrecords>{{cite web |title=Record Breakers |url=http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/about/records.html |access-date=1 February 2012 |publisher=RolandGarros.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510155503/http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/about/records.html |archive-date=10 May 2012}}</ref>
|-
| 1978 || 79.9% (127–32) games winning percentage in 1 tournament || '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| French Open—Wimbledon || 1978–1980 || 3 consecutive "Channel Slams": Winning both tournaments in the same year ^|| '''Stands alone'''||
|-
|rowspan="4"| [[Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] || 1976–1980 || [[List of Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles champions#Multiple champions|5 consecutive titles]] ^||rowspan="2"| Roger Federer||<ref name=Wimbledonrecords>{{cite web |url=http://www.wimbledon.com/heritage/history/legends/bjorn-borg |title=Wimbledon Legends – Björn Borg |publisher=Wimbledon.com |first=Ronald |last=Atkin |access-date=4 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211101251/http://www.wimbledon.com/heritage/history/legends/bjorn-borg |archive-date=11 February 2012}}</ref><ref name=Wimbledon>{{cite web |title=Wimbledon – Championships History |url=http://www.wimbledon.com/heritage/history/championships-history |access-date=4 February 2012 |publisher=Wimbledon.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601051854/http://www.wimbledon.com/heritage/history/championships-history |archive-date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref name=NESN />
|-
| 1976 || [[List of Grand Slam men's singles champions#Grand Slam|Won title without losing a set]] ||<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lynch|first1=Steven|title=Ask Steven: Has anyone since Bjorn Borg won Wimbledon without losing a set?|date=18 April 2015|url=http://espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/12714053/anyone-bjorn-borg-won-wimbledon-losing-set|work=ESPN|access-date=18 July 2016|archive-date=16 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816151317/http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/12714053/anyone-bjorn-borg-won-wimbledon-losing-set|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 1976–1981 || 41 consecutive match wins || '''Stands alone'''||<ref name=NESN />
|-
| 1973–1981 || 92.73% (51–4) match winning percentage || '''Stands alone'''||<ref name=NESN>{{cite web |title=Roger Federer Not Quite Yet Greatest Champion in Records of Wimbledon History |url=http://www.nesn.com/2012/06/in-annals-of-wimbledon-history-roger-federer-not-quite-the-greatest-champion.html |date=12 January 2010 |access-date=20 June 2012 |first=Sean |last=Peick |publisher=NESN |quote=Borg has his own impressive list of Wimbledon achievements – five consecutive titles (a record shared with Federer) from 1976 to 1980 followed up by a loss in the 1981 final, 41 consecutive matches won (a record he holds himself) and a mind-boggling career record of 51–4 for a winning percentage of .927 (also a record). |archive-date=22 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622051718/http://www.nesn.com/2012/06/in-annals-of-wimbledon-history-roger-federer-not-quite-the-greatest-champion.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! Time span
! Other selected records
! Players matched
! References
|-
| 1973–1981 || 72.5% (111–42) [[Open Era tennis records – men's singles#Playing top 10 ranked opponents|career winning percentage against top 10 players]] || '''Stands alone'''||<ref>{{cite web|title=Performance Career Versus Top Ten From All Countries|work=ATP Tour |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/performance-zone/win-loss-index/career/vstop10/all/|access-date=30 May 2012|archive-date=28 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628063325/https://www.atptour.com/en/performance-zone/win-loss-index/career/vstop10/all/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 1977–1980 || 4 consecutive years with a match winning percentage of 90%+ || '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1979–1980 || 10 consecutive titles || '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1978 || 50 consecutive matches won in 1 season ||'''Stands alone'''||<ref>{{cite web |title=Bjorn Borg Player Profile – Activity |url=http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10002258 |access-date=3 September 2012 |publisher=ITF Tennis |archive-date=29 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129011218/http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10002258 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bjorn Borg Davis Cup Player Profile – Results |url=http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10002258 |access-date=3 September 2012 |publisher=Davis Cup |archive-date=22 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022181434/http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10002258 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 1978–1980 || 2 winning streaks of 35+ matches ^ || [[Roger Federer]]<br />[[Jimmy Connors]]||
|-
| 1974–1981 || 63 titles until the age of 25 || '''Stands alone'''||<ref>{{cite web|title=Comparison at the Age of 25|url=http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/esp/news-detail/news/329-vergleich-zum-25sten.html?tx_comments_pi1%5Bpage%5D=1&cHash=44ee43fd9acf8b7194fe4179fc98bb8f|website=rogerfederer.com|publisher=Official Roger Federer Website|access-date=14 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815114747/http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/esp/news-detail/news/329-vergleich-zum-25sten.html?tx_comments_pi1%5Bpage%5D=1&cHash=44ee43fd9acf8b7194fe4179fc98bb8f|archive-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>
|-
| 1974–1976 || 17 titles won as a teenager|| '''Stands alone'''||
|-
| 1972–1981 || 81.8% (27–6) career 5 set match record || [[Jean Borotra]]<br />[[Johan Kriek]]||<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.atptour.com/en/performance-zone/win-loss-index/career/5thset/all/ |title=Performance Career 5th Set Record From All Countries |publisher=ATP Tour |access-date=16 March 2020 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727000514/https://www.atptour.com/en/performance-zone/win-loss-index/career/5thset/all/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}
==Professional awards==
* [[Tennis world champions named by the International Tennis Federation|ITF World Champion]]: 1978, 1979, 1980
* [[ATP Awards|ATP Player of the Year]]: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
==
{{Portal|Tennis}}
* [[Borg–Connors rivalry]]
* [[Borg–McEnroe rivalry]]
* [[List of Grand Slam men's singles champions]]
* [[List of Swedish sportspeople]]
* [[World number one male tennis player rankings]]
==
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
* {{cite book |author=Borg, Björn |title=The Björn Borg Story |publisher=H. Regnery Co |___location=Chicago |year=1975 |isbn=0-8092-8184-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Borg |first=Björn |author2=Eugene L. Scott |title=My Life and Game |url=https://archive.org/details/mylifegame00borg |url-access=registration |year=1980 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |___location=New York |isbn=0-283-98663-8}}
* John Barrett, editor, ''World of Tennis Yearbooks'', London, from 1976 through 1983.
* Michel Sutter, ''Vainqueurs Winners 1946–2003'', Paris, 2003. Sutter has attempted to list all tournaments meeting his criteria for selection beginning with 1946 and ending in the fall of 1991. For each tournament, he has indicated the city, the date of the final, the winner, the runner-up, and the score of the final. A tournament is included in his list if: (1) the draw for the tournament included at least eight players (with a few exceptions, such as the Pepsi Grand Slam tournaments in the second half of the 1970s which included only players that had won a Grand Slam tournament); and (2) the level of the tournaments was at least equal to the present day challenger tournaments. Sutter's book is probably the most exhaustive source of tennis tournament information since World War II, even though some professional tournaments held before the start of the open era are missing. Later, Sutter issued a second edition of his book, with only the players, their wins, and years for the 1946 through 27 April 2003, period.
==Video==
* ''The Wimbledon Collection – Legends of Wimbledon – Björn Borg'' Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 21 September 2004, Run Time: 52 minutes, ASIN: B0002HODA4.
* ''The Wimbledon Collection – The Classic Match – Borg vs. McEnroe 1981 Final'' Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 21 September 2004, Run Time: 210 minutes, ASIN: B0002HODAE.
* ''The Wimbledon Collection – The Classic Match – Borg vs. McEnroe 1980 Final'' Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 21 September 2004, Run Time: 240 minutes; ASIN: B0002HOEK8.
* ''Wimbledon Classic Match: Gerulaitis vs Borg'' Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: 31 October 2006, Run Time: 180 minutes, ASIN: B000ICLR8O.
==External links==
* {{ATP
* {{ITF}}
* {{Tennis Hall of Fame}}
* {{Davis Cup player}}
* {{Wimbledon player}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110203182757/http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/history/bjorn_borg.html archive])
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/wimbledon_history/3742099.stm BBC profile]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6637160.ece Sunday Times article 5 July 2009]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
{{Navboxes
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{{s-bef|before = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Jimmy Connors]]<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Connors<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Connors<br />{{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe<br />{{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe<br />{{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players|World No. 1]]|years = 23 August 1977 – 29 August 1977<br />9 April 1979 – 20 May 1979<br />9 July 1979 – 2 March 1980<br />24 March 1980 – 10 August 1980<br />18 August 1980 – 5 July 1981<br />20 July 1981 – 2 August 1981}}
{{s-aft|after = {{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Connors<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Connors<br />{{flagicon|USA}} [[John McEnroe]]<br />{{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe<br />{{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe<br />{{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal]]|years=1974}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal with Ingemar Stenmark|years=1978}}
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{{s-ttl|title = [[ITF World Champions#Men's singles|ITF World Champion]]|years = 1978–1980}}
{{s-aft|after = {{flagicon|USA}} John McEnroe}}
{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Muhammad Ali]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year]]|years=1979}}
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{{s-bef|before = {{flagicon|AUS}} [[John Newcombe]]<br />{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Rod Laver]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[List of Grand Slam related tennis records|Most career Grand Slam singles titles (open era)]]|years = 8 July 1978 – 4 July 1999}}
{{s-aft|after = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Pete Sampras]]}}
{{s-end}}
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{{navboxes|title=Björn Borg in [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam tournaments]]
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{{Men's tennis players who won two or more Grand Slam singles titles in one calendar year}}
{{French Open men's singles champions}}
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{{Tennis World Number Ones (men)}}
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{{BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year}}
{{BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{International Tennis Hall of Fame members}}
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[[Category:BBC Sports Personality Lifetime Achievement Award recipients]]
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