Bjorn borg on wimbledon and his secret love

By Simon Hayes on June 27, 2008 4:32 PM |

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THE CURRENT crop of tennis superstars might be slugging it out at Wimbledon but one former champion served up a treat for fans in Canary Wharf last week.

Bjorn Borg, the undisputed king of Wimbledon in the late 1970s, was at HSBC’s Canada Square headquarters on Wednesday to launch the bank’s “Champions of Wimbledon” campaign, celebrating their partnership with the tournament.

Borg, 52, won five consecutive titles between 1976 and 1980, a feat equalled by Roger Federer last year. But the Swede is tipping a change of champion this time round.

“It will be [Rafael] Nadal, [Novak] Djokovic and Roger in that order,” he said. “But I do think Roger will end up as the world number one at the end of the year.

“I don’t think this is the end of Roger’s era. He is a fantastic player who, at the top of his game, is a very tough opponent to beat.”

Borg retired from top-class tennis at just 26 but doesn’t see Federer hanging up his racket just yet.

“Roger has it in him to play at a top level for another five years or so,” he said. “If he stays clear of injury and keeps his hunger then there is no reason he can’t keep going until then.

“I have no regrets about retiring at that age. I lost a bit of my drive and edge and without that it is hard to keep at the top of your game.

“I wanted to grow as a person, rather than just a tennis player and I have been able to do that over the years.”

With so many titles under his belt, could Borg pick out one as being particularly memorable?

He said: “The first will always be a special memory as it was the first time I won the tournament. However, I couldn’t say any was better than the others, as playing at Wimbledon was always such a pleasure.”

Those wins came against many of the all-time greats, including John McEnroe, who he beat in an epic final in 1980. And he rates the American as his toughest opponent.

He said: “Well, John and I had some big battles. Everyone obviously remembers our huge tie break [in 1980] which he won, but I went on to win overall. So, if I had to put a name, I suppose John would just come out on top.”

And Borg is a fan of the modern game, including Britain’s latest hope, Andy Murray.

He said: “Nadal and Roger are so great to watch, whenever they are playing each other I never miss a game. I also like Andy Murray’s game. He can play aggressive, stay back, come forward, all of it. He will be a grand slam winner in the future, although I do not think it will be this year.”

Away from tennis Borg is a keen follower of English football, but rather than Manchester United or Arsenal his favourite club is, surprisingly, Charlton Athletic. The reason?

He said: “Well, my father was a great fan so I have carried on his support of the club. If I am over during the football season, perhaps I will make it [to The Valley] one day.”