Bjorn Borg

Bjorn Borg was born 6 June 1956 is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden regarded by some observers and tennis players as the greatest player in the sport's history.

During his brief pro career, Borg won 41 percent of the Grand Slam singles tournaments he entered (11 of 27) and 89.8 percent of the Grand Slam singles matches he played. Both are open era male records for an entire career. In addition, Borg's six French Open singles titles are an all-time record. He is the only player in the open era to win both Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year more than once, winning both for three consecutive years.

A player of great athleticism and endurance, he had a distinctive style and appearance -- bowlegged, yet very fast. His muscularity allowed him to put heavy topspin on both forehand and backhand. He used a then unorthodox two-handed backhand, adapted from the slap shot in hockey, a game he favored as a child. By the time he was 13 he was beating the best of Sweden's under-18 players and Davis Cup captain Lennart Bergelin cautioned against anyone trying to change Borg's rough-looking, jerky strokes. They were effective.

Borg joined the professional circuit at age 14. In 1972, at the age of 15, Borg became one of the youngest players ever to represent his country in the Davis Cup and won his debut singles rubber in five sets against seasoned professional 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.

In 1982, Borg played only one tournament, losing to Yannick Noah in the quarterfinals of Monte Carlo. 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. John McEnroe tried unsuccessfully to persuade Borg to continue.