– He was gone for many years, and it to make a comeback then… It was “mission impossible”, says Björn Hellberg to NRK today.
Hellberg commented on what was to be one of the more bizarre events in idrettshistorien for Swedish Radio.
the Castle with the long, blonde caps under the headband was tennisens big superstar in the 1970s.
Already as 18-year-old won the Borg his first Grand Slam title. In the course of the next seven years he would promise such a title the whole ten times.
But after a stunning 70-numbers, was Borg tired of tennis, and chose to take a break.
SEIERSVANT: Here promises Björn Borg one of their total of five Wimbledon trophies. This is from 1978.
Photo: Anonymous / AP
In 1981, had Borg lost against arch-rival John McEnroe in the final of both Wimbledon and the US Open. After the last loss dropped the superstar medaljeseremonien and press conference – and went straight to the airport.
Borg took the first half a year break, and in 1983 came the message that surprised the entire idrettsverdenen:
the 26-year-old chose one of the best tennis players to add up.
PENSIONER: Such was the man accustomed to see Björn Borg, but in 1983, he chose retirement.
Photo: Adam Stoltman / AP
The giant pressure from the whole Swedish people had led to that the Borg could not cope with more. There was simply no more light again and the former verdenseneren should never put their legs on a tennis court again.
at least That was the plan in 1983.
– Can not be worse
After a career with eleven Grand Slam triumphs, was the 80’s something completely different for tennispensjonisten Björn Borg.
In the media acted all about the money, women and allegations of cocaine use.
fashion icon: Björn Borg is currently very successful with his undertøysmerke, but in the 80’s didn’t the company just as well.
Photo: Alexis Duclos / AP
In an interview with the Swedish P3 just after that it had been the end with the girlfriend and mother of his first child, Jannicke Björling, commented on the Borg rumors about dopbruken.
Cohost asked Borg about how he saw the future.
It can at least not get worse, we hope, was tennisstjernens immediate response.
The only thing the Borg knew about, was to play tennis. Ever since a young Borg was fascinated by a gullracket his father won in a bordtennisturnering, had life been about the racket and the green ball. Missing after the tennis court was increasing.
Meanwhile, the clothing brand he had started toward the subway. The company was nearly bankrupt and the Castle was sold several properties and cars, as well as his own yacht in order to pay the requirements from the creditors.
NEARLY BANKRUPT: At the beginning of the 90’s had the Borg sell many of his personal assets to keep the life in their own clothing line.
Photo: Alexis Duclos / AP A last attempt
So, eight years after the karriereslutt, the particular 35-year-old Borg to make a comeback.
It was on the gravel in his hometown of Monte Carlo tennislegenden was going to play his first match. “The whole” world directed his gaze towards the svenskens return.
MONTE CARLO: this was Björn Borg and it was here that he made a comeback in 1991. The picture is from 2008.
Photo: Lionel Cironneau / AP
Tennisekspertene asked themselves about what the Borg was looking to prove, and tippeselskapene gave a thousand in the odds that the Borg should be number one.
PESSIMISM: Tenniseksperter around the world were pessimists before the Borg made a comeback in 1991.
Photo: AP
The telegraph’s long-standing tennisreporter, John Parsons, was pessimistic in an interview with Swedish Radio before the match.
He can certainly win one and another match, but unfortunately forced him enough to make the painful experience that he look and often lose against players that he had broken ten years ago.
Treracket and mysterious professor
Much had changed in the tennissporten since Borgs storhetsdager. The sport had taken the step into a new era and the old master had not hung with.
He had tested to play with a modern glassfiberracket, but stubborn as he was, chose the Castle to continue with an old treracket.
NEW ERA: The former arch-rival John McEnroe had long since gone over to the glassfiberracket, but Björn Borg held fervently by treracketen in returforsøket.
Photo: Mark Avery / AP
Even though the lids and the equipment was the same, there was one thing that was not the same as in the golden days: the Coach.
the Coach from the 70’s, Lennart Bergelin, was replaced by 79-year-old Ron Thatcher. The new coach called the professor Tia Honsai and helped usually rich celebrities to get in shape.
Thatcher and Honsai knew nothing about tennis, and both saw and heard badly. Few understood why the Borg relied on the 79-year-old.
Nevertheless predicted “the professor” that Borg would win Wimbledon again under his leadership.
– Difficult to recognize the old master,
Tennisverdenen had missed the superstar Björn Borg. When the swede left the tennissirkuset in 1983, he left a huge void, and, therefore, was also pushed big when he returned.
SUPERSTAR: Björn Borg was tennisens first real superstar.
Photo: Jacques Langevin / AP
at 13:18 on Tuesday 23. april 1991 went to the Castle out on the gravel in the Monte Carlo. On the opposite side stood the spaniard Jordi Arrese, who was ranked number 52 in the world. In other words, a very manageable opponent in the golden days.
For comparison sake, Casper Ruud, currently ranked number 36.
The first match after the comeback was going to be an embarrassing affair for Borg.
– maybe It would have made it a little better if he not played with treracket, but he had been gone for a long time. He was not well enough trained, and too slow, ” says Hellberg from Swedish Radio.
TRERACKET: Björn Borg with their outdated treracket in comebackforsøket in Monte Carlo.
Photo: Gilbert Tourte / AP
Had it not been for that the new coach Tia Honsai slept during parts of the match, he had seen eleven of his being totally outplayed in the first set.
In the second set there was a slight tendency to improvement, but Arrese won finally 6-2, 6-3.
It was anti-climatic. I had figured that he would get it hard, but he was actually sjanseløs. Even if he doesn’t met the best one time, ” says Hellberg about the fight.
Loads Twitter content Could not load the content, but you can go to twittermeldingen. – I knew it was madness
In a rare interview with The Guardian 16 years after the defeat in Monte Carlo, reflected the Borg if it failed returforsøket.
– you Know what? I just wanted to play tennis again. After that I let up, I played not much on six, seven, eight years. In 1991, I decided to play Monte Carlo. It was a great tournament and I lived there. I trained not, no preparation, in a way, I simply.
SEIERSVANT: Björn Borg who won 11 Grand Slam titles in his career, promises it Players Cup trophy after his europalag beat verdenslaget in 2019.
Photo: Jim Young / AP
I knew it was madness, but I just wanted to play tennis again, ” he added.
After the tournament in Monaco played the Borg for a further 12 matches and lost all.
In 1993, he gave up comebackforsøket and now there are many who have supplanted the latter, a little evil, chapter in Björn Borgs career.
the Comeback did not rumored to his inferior. We get to see it as a parenthesis, and remember when he was the best. I believe he is among the best tennis players of all through the ages, concludes Hellberg
Sources: Sveriges Radio, The Oregonian and The Guardian.
