Oh yes, Bjorn Borg was the original teen sensation. He won his first Davis Cup match at the age of 15 in 1972, beating New Zealand's seasoned campaigner Onny Parun. In 1973 and 1974, Borg evinced shrieks of passion from young girls everywhere he played, and had a fan following that was almost like a rock star's (among the lady players, the young Chris Evert evoked similar reactions from young teenage boys!). I recall a long story about Borg in Newsweek in 1974, probably soon after he swept the Italian Open (just before his 18th birthday) or the French Open (just after his 18th birthday) that year.
Of course, Borg fully lived up to the promise he had shown as a teenager. He won 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles, and 6 French Open titles -- apart from making the US Open final 4 times. (In those days, the Australian Open was ignored by most players, and Borg only played there once in 1974 and didn't bother going back). In 1978, 79 and 80 he won BOTH the French Open and Wimbledon -- a trio of back-to-back clay-and-grass Slam triumphs that is unlikely to ever be repeated by anyone. Since he retired so early (at the age of 25!), Borg compiled an awesome 141-16 career record in Slam singles matches (the best winning percentage of all time), including a 49-2 career record at the French Open. At Wimbledon, he won 41 consecutive matches (a record of course) before losing an epic final to McEnroe in 1981 (the latter gaining revenge for losing perhaps the greatest final at Wimbledon ever, the previous year).
Where are the heroes?
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