Page 56 - The Winn Newspaper

CYCLISTS WIN THE TOUR DE HERTFORD THE TOUR DE HERTFORD GOT OFF TO A GREAT START, AND A GREAT WIN! FOR DADS TEAM
Björn Borg was a rock ‘n roll star draped in tennis clothes.
His massive appeal, based not only on his extraordinary tennis ability, but on his good looks and shy manner, made him a worldwide tennis teen idol. “He was like the Beatles for God’s sake,” said Ingrid Lofdahl-Bentzer, a close Borg friend.
BORG POLARIZED TENNIS IN THE 1970S.
CLASS OF 1987
Top Ranking:
World No.1 1977
Grand Slam Results 11-time major champion and ve-time nalist
Career Titles 68
Career Record
Overall Record: 696-209 Singles Record: 609-127 Doubles Record: 87-82
Borg polarized tennis in the 1970s. Known as the “ice man” for his frosty temperament on court – never, ever letting his opponent get a hint of what was boiling inside him – Borg was the epitome of cool. Everything from the
way he walked onto the court, to his long hair that owed to his shoulders, to the headbands he always wore, to his Donnay racquet that featured a longer leather handle to accommodate his two-handed backhand, created hysteria.
He was tennis’s biggest drawing card. It was called “Borgmania.”
You’d have to search sporting annals long and hard to nd an athlete in any sport that rose to meteoric heights like Borg, an 11-time major singles champion in just seven years (1974-81), who dramatically stunned and shocked the tennis world by retiring at age 26. Even in such a short time span, Borg le an indelible legacy on tennis history. He won six French Open championships (second best in history behind Rafael Nadal’s ten) and four consecutively (1978-81). Borg dominated Wimbledon like no other player since Willie Renshaw did when he won six straight championships (1881-1886), capturing ve consecutive titles from 1976
to 1980, his ve-set marathon victory over John McEnroe in 1980 considered one of the greatest tennis matches in history. Borg’s ve titles at Wimbledon are the third highest in history behind Roger Federer (eight titles) and Pete Sampras (seven titles).