Björn Borg.

Björn Borg. Björn Borg, born in 1956, Swedish professional tennis player, who won 11 grand slam tournaments and held the men's number one ranking. Noted for his coolness under pressure, he took the Wimbledon title for five consecutive years (1976-80) and won the French Open six times (1974, 1975, 1978-81) but was less successful at the United States Open, where he lost in the finals six times. He was elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1990. Born in Sodertalje, a suburb of Stockholm, Borg started playing tennis at age nine and soon developed his trademark two-handed backhand. He left school at age 14 and within a year was the world's top-ranked junior player. Borg won his first major title, the Italian Open, in June 1974. That same month he won the French Open, his first grand slam tournament. In 1975 he led Sweden to its first Davis Cup victory (against the former Czechoslovakia), and by then he had become a national hero in Sweden. Borg dominated men's professional tennis in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He won a total of 62 singles tournaments before retiring in 1983. He then became involved in a variety of business enterprises that ultimately failed. He tried to return to competitive tennis in the early 1990s but could not reach his former level of play. In 1993 he joined the senior circuit, tournaments for players over 35. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.