40 years ago today: Björn Borg wins the last title in Geneva
Who would have thought that back then? After 09/27/1981 the great Björn Borg shouldn't win any more titles.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Sep 27, 2021, 02:11 pm
There was a time when Björn Borg moved the masses of fans like a rock star. Without any social media. During the period of his dominance at Wimbledon between 1976 and 1980 (including reaching the finals in 1981 when he lost to John McEnroe) the Swede was barely able to move freely and was kindly but firmly pressured by his supporters. And then suddenly he was gone, when he was only 26 years old.
Borg has booked 61 titles during his terrific career, eleven of them with majors. In addition to the five triumphs in London, there were six in Roland Garros, plus four finals at the US Open. The big stars of the scene usually did not travel to Australia at the time, otherwise the Grand Slam record of the now 65-year-old would have been even better.
Wilander and Edberg follow Borg
Borg celebrated his very last tournament victory as an active player (as captain of Team Europe at the Laver Cup he is still unbeaten after four editions) in Geneva. In round one, Borg defeated a young compatriot named Mats Wilander 6-1 and 6-1, followed by victories against Peruvian Pablo Arraya, local hero Heinz Günthardt, Spaniard Manuel Orantes and in the final against Czech Tomas Smid. He, in turn, had defeated Joakim Nyström in the semifinals, who, like Wilander, was on his way to the top of the world.
A few months later Björn Borg finally threw in the towel, attempts to make a comeback were as rare as they were unsuccessful. From the point of view of the groupies and real tennis fans, this was a loss that could hardly be compensated for, but the Swedes continued successfully: Wilander won in 1982 in Paris and later the majors in Australia and the USA. And Stefan Edberg crowned himself the legitimate successor of Borg on grass by beating Boris Becker in the final at Wimbledon in 1988.