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The ice man cometh | |
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Around the Academy: |
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Borg: Cool on and off the court in the 70s
Bjorn Borg
The Swede they called 'ice man' was perhaps the finest men's tennis player ever. If he hadn't decide to quit tennis at the age of 26 you could delete perhaps from that last sentence. Borg was always cool on court but his form in the 1970's was white hot. He won Wimbledon five years on the trot, a record that still stands. During three of those years he won the French Open too. Borg's best surface was clay where he developed the heavy top spin shots which are still used today.
Much like Andre Agassi he preferred to stay at the back of the court and was the first baseliner to really dominate Wimbledon.
But it was his steely focus and athletic ability which left watchers open mouthed. Rivals of Borg asked what planet he was from. He certainly went about his business in a different way. He didn't play on the whole Tour deciding to take months off at a time. But his success, his flowing locks and his stylish clothes made him a hit with the ladies and sponsors. Forget OK and Hello! Borg was way ahead of the game when it came to getting paid for his wedding photos. His marriage to his first wife earned him a reported $200,000. Verdict: Ice cool and deadly on the court, Borg took tennis to another level. Shame he retired so early.
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