No modern Tennis player’s career has been so brief, yet so bright, as that of Swedish legend Bjorn Borg. The former world no. 1, who rose to prominence as a teenager, retired at the age of 26 when he decided to call it a day in January 1983. Born on this day in 1956 in Sodertalje, Sweden, Bjorn Rune Bjorg turned pro in 1973 and went on to register feats that would set him apart as one of the game’s all-time greats. The Swedish enigma who dazzled tennis courts in the 1970s and 1980s with his ability to serve-and-volley on grass and stick to the baseline on clay was the first man to master the art of winning effortlessly on both surfaces.
Despite his relatively short career, spanning 11 years, the head-banded, golden-locked Swede became the first male player to win 11 Grand Slam open era singles titles. Between 1974 and 1981, Borg won six French Open titles and five consecutive at Wimbledon. He also played in the Australian Open, featuring once as a 17-year-old and never played in Australia again. He was also a four-time runner-up at the US Open.
