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Bjorn Borg, tennis champion: I’ve always been a private person

Bjorn Borg, tennis champion: I’ve always been a private person

The Interview vor 11 Monaten

Tim Muffett speaks to tennis icon Bjorn Borg about life at the top of the sport

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Born in 1956 in the Swedish capital, Borg’s lifelong association
with tennis began when his father won a full-size racket at a
local table tennis tournament, which he gave to the young Borg.

By the age of 14, he had joined the professional tennis circuit,
and just a few years later, had won the Italian Open at 17 and
the French Open at just 18. Having risen to international
prominence in 1975 when he helped Sweden win its first David Cup,
Borg became a household name in the years that followed for his
distinctive playing style that helped him win Wimbledon five
times in a row.

At the peak of his playing career, his on-court rivalry with the
American John McEnroe became the stuff of legend, with the pair’s
1980 Wimbledon final considered by many to be one of the greatest
matches ever played. This was later immortalised in a 2017 movie.

After unexpectedly retiring in 1983, Borg struggled with life
after tennis, battling alcohol and drug abuse. He subsequently
returned to the sport in the early 1990s for a couple of years
before hanging up his professional tennis racket for good.

He tells Tim Muffett about his journey to the very top of the
sport, the challenges of stepping away, and his recent battle
with prostate cancer.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our
world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC.
You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays
at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out
twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Tim Muffett Producers: Ben Cooper, Nadia Dahabiyeh and
Nick Smith Editor: Justine Lang

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the
hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Björn Borg of Sweden prepares to present the trophies on
Court Philippe-Chatrie, Credit: Tim Clayton/Getty Images)