Sporting Witness
Sporting Witness
Bjorn Borg
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July 8, 2021
10 minutes
Available for over a year
In the late 1970s and early 80s, Sweden’s Bjorn Borg was the biggest star in world tennis and arguably the sport’s first sex symbol. Always besieged by young female fans, Borg won five Wimbledon championships in a row and enjoyed a famous rivalry with John McEnroe, which culminated in an epic tie-break in the 1980 final. But Bjorn Borg would then shock the world of sport by retiring in 1983 at the age of just 26. Simon Watts brings together Borg’s Wimbledon memories, as recorded in the BBC archive.
PHOTO: Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon in the 1970s (BBC)