Let’s face it, the vision of Bjorn Borg falling to his knees to pray to the gods as he won yet another Wimbledon title, is etched in the memories of many tennis fans from over the years. The striped Fila shirt, the headband, the black Donnay racquet, the long blonde hair and the perfect match temperament were all part of what made the ‘Ice Borg’ so special.

The Bjorn Borg backhand

None of the above would mean anything without great tennis shots and his backhand was a great shot. His unique backhand technique evolved from his days as a young ice-hockey player in Sweden, to become one of the most effective backhands of all time.

The topspin

At the heart of Borg’s backhand was the immense topsin generated from his loose slap-shot style. This loose style enabled him to produce the most incredible angles and passing shots as he wrapped the racquet-head around the ball with amazing ease. Borg could improvise his follow-through in an instant due partly to the way he removed his non-racquet hand so quickly after striking the ball. This was particularly evident in his breath-taking passing shots which he continuously produced when all seemed lost. The flicks, rolls and whips were all there and were a nightmare for his opponents to deal with. His unique style also allowed him to naturally disguise his backhand making his shots tough to read.

The stance

Borg generally employed a closed-stance with his right foot forward and across. Having said that, an open-stance was used whenever it was more suitable and he also had fabulous knee bend on his low backhands.

The footwork

Borg’s footwork and speed around the court was second to none and was a major factor in his remarkable career. His speed was backed-up with incredible stamina and Borg was always safe in the knowledge that nobody would ever outlast him in a long match. This athleticism and fitness gave Borg an almost invincible aura, easpecially on clay.

Clay v Grass

Borg won six French opens and five Wimbledons - three times he won the French and Wimbledon in the same year. This was particularly impressive because in those days there was only one week separating the two events, making the job of adjusting to the grass even more challenging. Borg was virtually unbeatable on clay (apart from two important losses to Italy’s Adriano Panatta at the French Open) and always seemed to have the upper-hand against the next best clay-courter in the world, Guillermo Vilas. Ion Tiriac, the coach of Vilas once said, ‘Bjorn does everything that Guillermo does but just a bit better’.

A human ball-machine, a brick wall, call him what you will, Borg very rarely made an unforced error on a clay court.

Borg initially surprised everone with his grass-court success. His ability on clay was there for all to see but his ability on grass was not so obvious at first. Whilst Borg didn’t volley well, he served superbly, and crucially, loved the target at the net that grass gave him. Opponents were naturally charging the net against this baseline legend, only too often to be greeted by a flicked winning passing shot or a topspin lob winner.

Slice

Borg’s slice backhand was functional but not special. It did the job but at times was a touch flimsy. However, it became a useful contrast to his heavy topspin shot as the slice was often struck without much pace and authority.

Borg’s backhand in today’s game

In my opinion Borg’s backhand technique may have struggled in the modern game, especially on faster surfaces. His exagerated loose style does not lend itself to the early sharp hitting style of today’s game. If you look at how far up the court Agassi was striking his backhand with his uncomplicated swing, you can’t help but think that Borg’s style might have struggled with this. On the other hand, this isn’t such a factor on clay and maybe Borg’s technique would have evolved in the way that was required.

We’ll never know!

John Key

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