Bjorn Borg is a Swedish tennis player who has a net worth is $80 million. Bjorn Borg is the first man to win 11 Grand Slam singles tennis titles – six at the French Open and five consecutive titles at Wimbledon.
Bjorn won his fifth Wimbledon in 1980 in a memorable five-set match against John McEnroe. The match and the events leading up to it were made into the 2017 HBO movie “Borg vs. McEnroe.” Bjorn shocked the world when he retired in 1983 at the age of 26 when he was arguably still at a very competitive point in his career. In retirement, Bjorn launched a highly successful fashion brand.
Bjorn was incredibly popular worldwide, but especially in his native Sweden, at the peak of his career in the 1970s and 1980s. Bjorn was the first professional tennis player to earn more than $1 million in tournament money in a single year. He accomplished that feat in 1979.
Earning $1 million in 1979 is the same as earning around $4 million in today’s dollars. In total, he earned $3,655,751 during his career. After adjusting for inflation, that’s the same as around $20 million in today’s dollars.
In addition to tournament earnings, Bjorn earned millions from endorsements during his professional career. For example, in 1977, Bjorn earned $425,000 from the following companies:
FILA – $200k
Bancroft rackets – $100k
Tretorn shoes – $50k
Scandinavian air – $25k
Tuborg beer – $50k
Björn Rune Borg was born on June 6, 1956 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the only child of parents Rune and Margaretha Borg, who raised their son in Södertälje. His father had won a tennis racket at a table-tennis tournament, which Borg was fascinated with as a child. He father gave Borg the racket when he was only a child, starting his tennis career.
Even as a young player, Borg’s skill was evident. He was very athletic and moved quickly while also being muscular. He developed a strong two-handed backhand and was beating the best of Sweden’s under-18 players by the time he was 13.
In 1976, Borg won the World Championship Tennis competition, though he lost the French Open that year to Adriano Panatta. However, Borg did win at Wimbledon in 1976, becoming the youngest male champion in the modern era at the time. He won at Wimbledon again in 1977, propelling Borg to earn the number 1 ranking in the ATP point system.
He only officially held onto the top spot for a week, though, as a shoulder injury forced him to drop out of the playing circuit to recover. In 1978, Borg’s shoulder had healed, and he again won the French Open, not dropping a set during the tournament. He also won at Wimbledon that year, beating Jimmy Connors in straight sets.
The following year, he again won both at the French Open and at Wimbledon, ending the year at number one in the ATP point rankings. 1980 was another strong year for Borg, as he won his fifth French Open title and his fifth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, defeating John McEnroe in a final that is widely considered to be the best Wimbledon final ever played. McEnroe beat Borg the same year in the final at the U.S. Open.
