My Life and Game by Borg, Bjorn As Told To Eugene Scott
My Life and Game by Borg, Bjorn As Told To Eugene Scott
Hardcover, ISBN 9780283986635
Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, 1980
Used - Very Good +.
The current (as of this writing) trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are perceived by the masses to be the finest three way rivalry that tennis has ever produced. It is a hard argument to dispute.
However, in the late 1970's and early 1980's, Bjorn Borg counterpunched with Jimmy Connors and John MacEnroe. For good measure, there was Ille Nastase and Guillermo Vilas. The tennis was epic. All were incredible athletes and fierce competitors. Many set new standards for bad behavior on the court. But one man stood above the fray. with his wooden racket, his stoic, unemotional tennis, and his long hair flowing beneath his trademark headband, Borg won four straight Wimbledon's, and four French Opens.
He retired in his prime, and faded away.
There are many autobiographies that suffer from poor writing. This is not one of them. The writing is just fine. There are many biographies that suffer for being written at the wrong time in a person's life. This book was undoubted written to capture the commercial apeal of Borg's superstardom at this time in his career. At the very apex. The story of his life arc suffers.
If one were reading an autobiography of Jimmy Connors, for instance, it would be more interesting from the perspective of when he was seventy years old. He could speak of not only the highlights of his Championships, but the frustrations of competing when he was in his late 30's, when his body was no longer following all his minds' commands. Or about business ventures tried, and failed. Marriages gone bad. In short, the things that make up a life, A celebrity's life. A superstar's rise and fade.
So, we don't really get much of Borg's story here. Doubtless, there is much more to unravel and tell. We do get his strategies on the court, very little of his ersonal life, some nice action shots, and some nice remembrances of his on-court battles.
Not a bad read. Quick. Interesting. But leaves a lot between the lines.
