For the record, the following one-on-one interview with Bjorn Borg was not the highlight of the Vale de Lobo Tour of Champions event for me; the zenith was interviewing - or pretending to interview - Annabel Croft. The British pin-up of the early 1980s was my favorite pro female player, and she was staying in the home of friends in Vale do Lobo. So when I saw her at the tournament, I pulled out the tape recorder and started a conversation. . . [Ed note: Mikey - dork much? You could have come up with something - anything - better than that to cozy up with the lady!]
THE BORG INTERVIEW
When I got to the restricted players' area, Bjorn was sitting placidly with his four year-old son Leo on his lap, alongside his third wife, Patricia Ostfeldt, and countryman Anders Jarryd – that odd Swede from the 1980s who ended up playing the event as a subtitute for Michael Stich, who was supposed to substitute for Goran Ivanisevic , who - well, you know, those old timers are falling apart!
I sat down next to Bjorn and we started chatting with his recent visit to the All England Club for the Wimbledon finals weekend. You'll remember that he congratulated Federer right after the Swiss bagged the title and left Centre Court.
MS - I saw you at Wimbledon, hugging Federer. You seemed happy and easy-going, quite different from the Ice-Borg image everybody had of you – but I was also puzzled about why you seemed to root for a fifth Federer title, since Nadal, whose play makes him a natural heir of yours, could also equal your Wimbledon-Roland Garros combo record.
BB - I was not rooting for anyone in particular, I was hoping for a great final and I knew it would be a great match because every time they play against each other they bring out the best. They have completely different styles, they are the two best players in the world, they have a great rivalry and their matches are always great. I enjoy watching Nadal a lot and both are nice, but I said before that it could’t happen to a nicer person if Roger would equal the record. It is a difficult record to beat, but I was hoping Federer would do it.
MS - When Federer beat Sampras in 2001, you called him, thanking him for preventing Sampras from matching your Wimbledon record. But now you wanted him to equal you?
BB - It’s funny, because I didn't think of that when I called him back then. And then there I was (at Wimbledon), thinking, "This was the guy I called before and thanked him, and now he has the chance of equaling the record". That first time I called Roger because he was coached by Peter Lundgren at the time, a very close friend of mine. Federer had the chance to do it this year and he did it. But even Nadal… he was a little bit unlucky, he had a good chance to win and if I have to pick someone to win next year, I pick Nadal. He is the player who can win both on clay and on grass.
MS - Have you been watching all their matches? Can you explain why Roger seems to play under his best when he meets Rafa? For instance, at the Wimbledon final, he only seemed to release himself after that double 15-40 scare in the final set. . .
BB - They have a lot of respect for each other, and Roger knows he has to play his best against Nadal. It’s a different mental aspect for Roger, because Nadal is such a great player, young, strong and it is very difficult to beat him. They both respect each other on and off the court. It’s tough for Federer to face Nadal, but still you see great tennis and that’s the most important thing and the reason why I enjoy watching those guys.
MS - It’s a healthy rivalry, while in the '80s there was a lot of animosity – not with you, because Mac always behaved while playing against you, but between McEnroe and Connors and both against Lendl. Do you think tennis needs that spark - more Soderling-Nadal moments?
BB - Well, I think tennis needs another player at the top. Back then, with myself, Mac and Connors, there were three of us. It would be even nicer three or four at the top, playing against each other throughout the world because it’s unbelievably great tennis. . .
MS - A lot was made of your attempt to sell your trophies, and McEnroe told me here, last year, about the conversation you both had on the phone. I always thought you were the kind of person whose favorite trophies were the moments when you actually won the tournament. . .
BB - For me, it was always the memories. I never worried about the material. I never had trophies exposed in my home – never ever. I have memories in my mind, they are still in my head. I remember everything. I have memories and a lot of pictures, those were always the most important things for me. If you come into our house, you can’t even know that I was involved in tennis or even in sports. It’s been like that all these years. Maybe it was not a good decision, to sell the trophies; I’m glad I changed my mind. I was proud when I won my first trophy, at 11, and still have it. I still have a lot of trophies in the basement, but in the past 20 years I’ve been giving a lot of them to kids’ tournaments, charities.
MS - All those years you’ve been away from the game… were you curious about what was going on, or were you completely away?
BB - I was always following tennis, because I love the game. It’s as simple as that. Maybe I wasn’t on the tennis scene or involved, but I was always following tennis. It’s an important part of my life. Now I plan to come to tournaments and follow tennis on the site, while before I was away.
![Here is Part 2 of Miguel Seabra's dispatch on Bjorn Borg, who played John McEnroe last night in the round robin portion of the Eindhoven Blackrock Tour of Champions. Enjoy and have a great weekend. I'll be back after the three-day Columbus Day weekend, on Tuesday. But Ed will be here with a Monday Net Post - Pete] 