Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Empathy For Borg?
As I was reading the news online late in my hotel room in Denver, Colorado, I came across a tragic article. The article said that Bjorn Borg, the legendary Swedish tennis star was putting his five Wimbledon trophies up for sale, along with two of his rackets, one of which he used when he won his first Wimbledon in 1976 defeating Ilie Nastase, and the other which he used when he won the classic 1980 Wimbledon finals match against John McEnroe.
It was shortly before I went to bed at the end of a tiresome day involving a ton of traveling. I had to read the article one more time to make sure it was not my tiredness playing tricks on me. Still stunned, I went to three different reliable news sources to make sure that what I am reading was not a mirage or a science fiction article involving the Borg from Star Trek The Next Generation.
Barely able to keep my eyes closed, I turned off my computer, went to bed, and closed my eyes. I did not go to sleep immediately, however. I stayed awake for a good 30 minutes wondering how in the world this could happen to such an invincible man. I spent all 30 minutes immersed in nostalgia.
I remembered how at a small tennis club in Switzerland in 1980 I was playing a junior tournament final, and I hurried up to shake my opponent's hand at the end of the match, running to the clubhouse to catch the rest of that legendary Wimbledon finals match between Borg and McEnroe, while cursing the tournament director for scheduling my measly finals match at the same time as the Wimbledon finals, hence making me miss the first two sets.
I remembered coming back early from my skiing day-trip on my vacation in Megeve, France to the hotel room, just so I could watch Borg toy with Vitas Gerulaitis in the finals of Masters tournament in 1979.
I remembered putting together a collage of pictures of Borg that I collected from magazines, and enthusiastically making a piece of art out of it, just so I could impress Borg at the 1981 Martini Open in Geneva and have him sign it. I remember breaking the world sprint record for 30 meters, running back to my Mom and Dad to show them that he did indeed just sign my collage about 40 seconds ago.
So many memories of Borg from those years came flooding back. None of them involved how much money he made or what his check was when he won one of his 11 Slam titles. For the generation of tennis lovers that had the chance to watch him, Borg was a symbol of tennis, someone above a mere tennis player or an athlete. Tennis without him was never the same, a point so often made by two of his biggest rivals as well as two of the biggest egos in tennis — John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.
I mean, the guy's pulse rate at rest was below 40 per minute for crying out loud.
Borg's life and career took a 180-degree turn after he retired abruptly from tennis in 1983. Showing the sides of his character that none of his fans ever knew existed (didn't McEnroe once say, "Borg was the biggest character in tennis without ever having one!"), Borg became the prime example of the motto "athletes only know how to play sports, and nothing else!"
For years following his retirement, it seemed that money was the only subject mentioned whenever Borg's name comes up in the news.
But this?
Selling his five Wimbledon trophies and two rackets for "long-term financial security?" This quote coming from a guy who had a fortune of over $60 million dollars?
Selling his Wimbledon trophies and rackets at an auction? An auction where he hopes people will make silly hand signals for higher bids and pay around $700,000 dollars for his collection? How did it ever get this way? Is there a more tragic road traveled from a high to a low?
Apparently, the formula of this tragedy involves several lawsuits with business partners and girlfriends, a custody battle involving a child with an teenage girlfriend, two divorces, cocaine use, failed business ventures and an ensuing bankruptcy, years long feud with Swedish tax authorities, a humiliating comeback attempt in 1991, an alleged suicide attempt, and complete surrender to an outrageously irresponsible lifestyle and partying.
Do I feel empathy for Borg? It's hard for me to say objectively. In a way, Borg was bigger than tennis. A vast generation of youngsters (especially in Europe) took up a tennis racket for the first time in their lives only because of Borg. He is not just an important figure in the history of the game. He is an enigma in the game of tennis. So for me, a mere individual who is a part of that vast generation, not to feel empathy for Borg would be similar to not having any feelings if the house where I grew up was destroyed in an explosion or an earthquake.
Sure, I will hear people in my tennis-related surroundings talking about what an idiot Borg is for squandering away his estimated $60 million dollar fortune (give or take a few). I will hear them mention casually how smartly they would invest if they had such a fortune, etc. I may even hear young tennis players say, "Who is Borg?" Perhaps I will even secretly resent them for saying such things without walking a mile in the man's shoes or never having seen him perform the miracles on the court.
Even I, however, must admit that he is no longer the icon he was once upon a time. His image and legend are tarnished. He is, after all, an ordinary man with extraordinary athletic ability. And you will not me see run to get the signature of the person who ends up buying his trophies and rackets.
Yes, perhaps some might say that he is a loser in all aspects of life other than the tennis court. Just don't say that out loud when you are with me. After all, he is the enigma called Bjorn Borg. In my world of tennis, he is no loser and needs no empathy.