I’m one of tennis’ GOATs but quit at just 26… now I own fashion range selling underwear loved by Messi and am worth £63m

11 months ago 53

BJORN BORG was not only one of the greatest players of all time to grace the tennis court – but also one of the most stylish.

So it is little wonder he carved out a successful new career in fashion after hanging up his racket aged just 26.

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Born in Stockholm in 1956, Borg, 67, transformed tennis with his elegance, effortless swings and flowing long locks.

He won 11 Grand Slam singles titles – his six French Opens are bettered only by the King of Clay Rafael Nadal on a ridiculous 14 in the Open Era.

And the Swede also sealed five Wimbledon crowns – coming in five straight years from 1976 to 1980.

The last of those, against his great rival John McEnroe, is considered by many as the best tennis match of all time, featuring the stunning 18-16 fourth-set tie-break the American clinched to force a fifth set.

Borg’s rivalry with McEnroe – as well as his popularity with the ladies thanks to his dashing good looks and suave manner – helped take tennis to a whole new level of global popularity.

It was two completely contrasting styles, leftie vs rightie, rude vs polite, loud vs quiet, chaotic vs calm.

McEnroe came out on top in the 1980 and 1981 US Open finals, as well as at Wimbledon in 1981, with Borg never capturing the title in New York despite reaching four finals.

He also only ever played the Australian Open once, as a 17-year-old in 1974 but opted against making the journey Down Under in the days before obsessions over the Grand Slam race.

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But suddenly in January 1983, Borg shocked tennis by announcing he was retiring and stopped the following year still only in his mid-20s.

Such was the respect between them, McEnroe begged him to carry on but the decision was already made up by the man who spent 109 weeks as the world No1 and won the BBC’s Overseas Personality of the Year.

American icon Arthur Ashe said of Borg: “I think Bjorn could have won the US Open. I think he could have won the Grand Slam, but by the time he left, the historical challenge didn’t mean anything.

“He was bigger than the game. He was like Elvis or Liz Taylor or somebody.”

Borg did make a brief comeback from 1991 to 1993 – but by then he had already started his new venture.

The Bjorn Borg Collection first started making sports clothes in 1984 but went bust before the fashion label was officially relaunched in 1989, initially under the World Brand Management name.

It has now been changed to Bjorn Borg AB and is one of the leading fashion brands in the world, even rivalling Calvin Klein with its underwear lines.

Lionel Messi even wore a pair of the boxers as Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Lionel Messi wore Bjorn Borg boxers at the 2022 World Cup[/caption]

Borg won Wimbledon for five straight years from 1976 to 1980[/caption]

His popularity went beyond tennis fans[/caption]

Bjorn Borg AB also sells a wide range of sportswear – as well as swimming trunks, shoes, bags and accessories – with a committed pledge to sustainability in the industry.

It even produced a first-person shooter video game called First Person Lover where players kitted themselves out in Bjorn Borg’s clothing and fought with “weapons of love”.

Borg made approximately £2.9million from his tennis career, helped by winning 66 singles titles.

But it has been off the court that he has raked in the money and is now reportedly worth around £63m as he resides back in his hometown after having to sell his mansion.

The famous Borg name is not finished in tennis, though – and not just because Borg is Team Europe’s Laver Cup captain up against dear friend McEnroe’s Team World.

That is because Bjorn’s son Leo is following in his dad’s footsteps trying to forge a career in the sport – but admitted his hero is Nadal and not his old man.

Bjorn had Leo, 20, with his third wife Patricia Ostfeld while his other son Robin was born in 1985 to Swedish model Jannike Bjorling between his first and second marriages.