|
July 8, 2007
King of the court
Bjorn Borg is back at his spiritual home, hoping to see Roger Federer equal his record and avoid the pitfalls
By The Sunday Times
Even those rain gods who make life purgatory at Wimbledon appear to respect
greatness. The sun finally broke through the clouds, as if to smile at the
long-overdue return of Bjorn
Borg to his spiritual home.
The eyes still have the piercing glare that epitomises the meaning of that
overused sporting term, focus. The hands that gripped that famous wooden
racket still appear unusually large and strong. The hair is grey and cut
neater than in competitive days. The face, habitually bearded by two weeks
of superstitious stubble at this time of the tournament, is almost unusually
clean-shaven and fresh. The look is smart casual, with the shirt untucked
under the linen suit and the purple-and-green All England Club tie,
requisite to take his seat in the royal box, still concealed in a pocket.
Yet it is the affection for the place he regards as the most special in tennis
that is most notable. To some it might seem as though the Swede has never
properly been away. Reruns of his classic victories still figure prominently
on the BBC when rain halts play, but his near-exile has lasted more than a
quarter of a century. The five-time champion has returned only once to his
beloved Centre Court since his winning run was brought to an end by John
McEnroe in 1981, showing a rare glimmer of emotion by bending to kiss the
turf behind the baseline as he was introduced for the Millennium Parade of
Champions.
Then he was almost obliged to make the sentimental journey; if his boyhood
idol, Rod Laver, and 57 other living champions could make it, then how could
he say no? This time he is back of his own volition, hoping to see a modern
legend equal his feat of winning the men’s title five times in succession.
There is a kindred spirit between Borg and Roger Federer. It was cemented
when they met in Dubai nine months ago but has existed far longer. Both men
can mask their inner emotions with intense levels of concentration and share
a meticulous desire for precision and orderliness. Then there is the common
mastery of a tennis court.
“There are a number of reasons why I have decided to come back this year,”
says the 51-year-old, who, after some traumatic passages in his life, has
found domestic contentment with his third wife, Patricia, whom he met at a
Stockholm tennis club nearly six years ago.
“Deep down, Wimbledon is a very special place for me because I have all my
best memories from here, and I suppose there was a wish to preserve them in
a way as something from my past. But as I get older I am more and more ready
to come back more often.
“However, one of the reasons is I hope to see Roger Federer win five titles.
It would be so nice to be in the stands watching him taking the title again.”
As a player Borg was always perceived as being almost detached from reality.
His pulse rate would slow to 39 beats a minute, to suggest his blood was
almost chilled. And he always seemed to adopt the Swedish mindset of “is i
magen”; ice in the stomach.
Yet there is a warmth of compassion when he continues on the subject of
Federer and says: “Look what Roger has been doing for the past few years. He
is such a complete player, so professional in everything he is doing.
“He has both feet on the ground, no weaknesses. He is so focused even when it
comes to practice. Everything must be perfect and working well in every
session. I was the same too. We behave on the court in the same way. It’s
very rare that you see him disturbed, from the first point to the last. It
does not matter if he plays badly. I admired Laver for that same mental
aspect when I was growing up.”
Many retired sportsmen get cantankerous in advanced years when their records
become threatened. Borg’s peer Guillermo Vilas was a case in point when
Rafael Nadal threatened his long-standing unbeaten run on clay, but the
Swede is clearly of a different mind.
His competitive urges still exist (later this year he will return to the
BlackRock Tour of Champions senior circuit against the likes of McEnroe,
Henri Leconte, Pat Cash, Goran Ivanisevic and Boris Becker, even though he
will be by far the oldest player on the circuit that reaches its climax each
year at London’s Albert Hall). But he is urging Federer on to equal and then
break the record rather than rueing the day his name will be shoved into
second place in the yearbooks.
“Records are not meant to be just challenged,” Borg insists. “They are there
to be broken. To win five times in a row at Wimbledon is tough to beat. Pete
Sampras was close: he got four in a row, then it was Roger who beat him to
deny the fifth. Now I hope and believe he can win six, seven, or even eight
times in a row, so long as he keeps the motivation.”
Whenever Borg alludes to his playing days he talks in terms of “we” rather
than “I”, and today he will join his greatest rivals, McEnroe and Jimmy
Connors, to treat television viewers to what promises to be an entrancing
and anecdotal walk from the locker rooms to the court he once dominated. It
would be easy simply to cocoon himself in memories, but he also looks to the
future and continues to think of Federer.
“Things are different now because we did not think in terms of setting records
or breaking them,” he says. “When we played, nobody seemed to talk about how
many matches you had won in a row. Now these things are very much on the
minds of the likes of Federer. It gives the top guys goals and adds to their
motivation, which is very necessary.”
Borg knows better than anyone that a lack of motivation is a great danger. He
turned away from the game at 26 and never went close to recapturing his
prominence. It is a concern he harbours for Federer: “Hopefully he will not
wake up one day and suddenly realise he is bored with the sport. If that
happens, it will become difficult for him.
“Right now he looks sharp and wants to play for many more years. Everything
around him is very correct, but a lot of players understood what I went
through when I lost my motivation. It came to the point where life in tennis
was not fun any more, but still I was young. If that happens, it’s difficult
to continue.”
For the time being Federer shows no sign of allowing his confidence to waver,
and the presence of another illustrious supporter in the stands can only
spur him on. He admits that he would prefer to maintain tradition and have
the Duke of Kent hand him the winner’s trophy again today. Then he can talk
privately with Borg in the sanctuary of the locker room and speak as an
equal to the only other man in modern times who knows what it is like to
have won five titles in succession. It is a conversation each man is
awaiting with relish.
Famous five: Bjorn Borg’s Wimbledon titles1976 Ilie Nastase 6-4 6-2 9-7 A month after his 20th birthday the Swede
became Wimbledon champion at his fourth attempt. Despite a stomach muscle
injury, he did not drop a set en route to the fi nal. Nastase, almost 10
years his senior, started brightly but Borg assumed control after losing the
fi rst three games and won in an hour and 50 minutes
1977 Jimmy Connors 3-6 6-2 6-1 5-7 6-4 Borg’s second title was more
demanding than the first. He had three five-set marathons, including a
semi-final win over close friend Vitas Gerulaitis that is regarded as one of
Wimbledon’s greatest encounters. The fi nal was delicately balanced until a
heckler infuriated Connors after he served a double fault. With the
American’s concentration in tatters, the champion struck
1978 Jimmy Connors 6-2 6-2 6-3 Connors insisted that to play
successfully against Borg he needed to be on the 10th floor of his game but
the lift only went somewhere around the fifth. The giant American Victor
Amaya was the only opponent to offer Borg any resistance on the way to the
final, extending him to five sets in the opening round
1979 Roscoe Tanner 6-7 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 After overcoming Brian Teacher,
Tom Okker and Connors with surprising ease, Borg faced fi fth-seeded Tanner,
who was one of the biggest servers in the game. Again the fi nal went the
distance and, by his own admission, Borg felt nervous at Wimbledon for the
fi rst time as the match entered the fi nal set. But his strength of mind
saw him home
1980 John McEnroe 1-6 7-5 6-3 6-7 (16-18) 8-6 When it comes to rain
delays at Wimbledon, this classic final between two such diametrically
opposite opponents is top of the televised rerun charts. In a memorable
34-point tie-break, the like of which may never be seen again, McEnroe had
seven set points and Borg five match points. McEnroe won it but the
emotional and physical strain took its toll and allowed Borg his fifth
successive title
Roger Federer’s titles 2003 Mark Philippoussis 7-6 6-2 7-6 There were doubts about whether
Federer possessed the mental strength to win Wimbledon before this victory
against the Australian
2004 Andy Roddick 4-6 7-5 7-6 6-4 A far more accomplished and
satisfying tournament. A timely rain delay in the final allowed Federer to
work out a different strategy to come from a set down
2005 Andy Roddick 6-2 7-6 6-4 Federer was supreme throughout the
fortnight, dropping only one set. Roddick said Federer was ‘as close as
there is to being unbeatable’
2006 Rafael Nadal 6-0 7-6 6-7 6-3 Such is Federer’s respect for his
young Spanish rival that between taking the opening set to love and cruising
through the final few games, he was never at ease
|
