Bjorn Borg: I’ve always been a private person

Bjorn Borg: I’ve always been a private person

Born in 1956 in the Swedish capital, Borg’s lifelong association with tennis began when his father won a full-size racket at a local table tennis tournament, which he gave to the young Borg.

By the age of 14, he had joined the professional tennis circuit, and just a few years later, had won the Italian Open at 17 and the French Open at just 18. Having risen to international prominence in 1975 when he helped Sweden win its first David Cup, Borg became a household name in the years that followed for his distinctive playing style that helped him win Wimbledon five times in a row.

At the peak of his playing career, his on-court rivalry with the American John McEnroe became the stuff of legend, with the pair’s 1980 Wimbledon final considered by many to be one of the greatest matches ever played. This was later immortalised in a 2017 movie.

After unexpectedly retiring in 1983, Borg struggled with life after tennis, battling alcohol and drug abuse. He subsequently returned to the sport in the early 1990s for a couple of years before hanging up his professional tennis racket for good.

He tells Tim Muffett about his journey to the very top of the sport, the challenges of stepping away, and his recent battle with prostate cancer.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Tim Muffett Producers: Ben Cooper, Nadia Dahabiyeh and Nick Smith Editor: Justine Lang

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Björn Borg of Sweden prepares to present the trophies on Court Philippe-Chatrie, Credit: Tim Clayton/Getty Images)

Avsnitt(1844)

Volker Türk: Are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?

Volker Türk: Are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. As conflicts destroy millions of lives around the world, are we sleepwalking into a dystopian future?(Photo: Volker Türk, UN Commissioner for Human Rights appears via video on Hardtalk)

5 Mars 22min

Badiucao: Art, power and China

Badiucao: Art, power and China

Stephen Sackur speaks to the dissident artist Badiucao, whose cartoons and drawings challenge President Xi Jinping and the Chinese state. He lives in exile in Australia, but does that mean he’s beyond Beijing’s reach?

3 Mars 22min

Lord Sumption: Is liberal democracy in big trouble?

Lord Sumption: Is liberal democracy in big trouble?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the former senior judge, barrister and writer Lord Sumption whose latest book assesses the health of democracy and the rule of law

28 Feb 22min

Victoria Spartz: Has Donald Trump switched sides on Ukraine?

Victoria Spartz: Has Donald Trump switched sides on Ukraine?

Stephen Sackur speaks to US Congresswoman Victoria Spartz. Born and raised in Ukraine and now a Donald Trump loyalist, what does she make of the US president’s strategy of pushing for peace in Ukraine by labelling Ukraine’s President Zelensky a dictator and appearing to hand Vladimir Putin a series of diplomatic gifts?

26 Feb 22min

N. Ram: Freedom of expression in India

N. Ram: Freedom of expression in India

Stephen Sackur speaks to one of India’s most influential media voices, N. Ram, director of the Hindu Publishing Group. With independent journalists complaining of intimidation and social media facing new curbs, is freedom of expression under threat in the world’s biggest democracy?

24 Feb 22min

Laila Soueif and Sanaa Seif: Hunger for freedom

Laila Soueif and Sanaa Seif: Hunger for freedom

Stephen Sackur speaks to Laila Soueif, mother of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a political prisoner in Egypt and Alaa’s sister Sanaa Seif. Laila is into the fifth month of a hunger strike in a desperate bid to win her son’s freedom. Alaa is a dual British-Egyptian citizen – should the UK be doing more to help?(Photo: Egyptian activist Laila Soueif gives a statement to the media outside Downing Street about her son, Alaa Abdel Fattah, in London, 10 February 2025. Credit: Tolga Akmen/EPA)

19 Feb 22min

Jake Sullivan: The legacy of the Biden White House

Jake Sullivan: The legacy of the Biden White House

Stephen Sackur is in Washington D.C. for an exclusive interview with Jake Sullivan, who was National Security Adviser in the Biden White House. From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Gaza, he faced a series of rolling crises. Did the failings of the Biden administration prepare the ground for Trump 2.0?

14 Feb 22min

Tom Fletcher: What is the impact of US foreign aid cuts?

Tom Fletcher: What is the impact of US foreign aid cuts?

Sarah Montague speaks to the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher. As President Trump pulls almost all America’s foreign aid spending, what will the impact be on those around the world who most rely on it?

13 Feb 22min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
svenska-fall
motiv
p3-krim
fordomspodden
blenda-2
rss-viva-fotboll
rss-krimstad
flashback-forever
aftonbladet-daily
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-krimreportrarna
rss-frandfors-horna
dagens-eko
sydsvenskan-dok
olyckan-inifran
rss-flodet
rss-svalan-krim
krimmagasinet