"I had no motivation and no focus" - Bjorn Borg opens up on his early retirement

Former World No.1 Bjorn Borg walked away from the sport of tennis at the young age of 26, and despite several attempts to return, he was never able to achieve his prior success. The Swedish star recently opened up on his decision to retire, tying it to his lack of motivation.

Borg won his maiden Grand Slam title at the age of 18, when he captured the 1974 Roland Garros title. He would go on to win five more titles in Paris and five Wimbledon titles, giving him a total of 11 Major trophies.

Despite his success on clay and grass, Borg was never able to conquer the hard courts of New York. He reached the US Open final on four separate occasions, but could not bring home the trophy. The disappointing losses took a toll on the Swede, as after losing the 1981 final to Jon McEnroe, Borg left the court without participating in the trophy presentation ceremony.

Borg would announce his retirement two years later, as he never reached another Grand Slam final after his shameful 1981 performance. Although he attempted to make a comeback years later, he was never able to rediscover his form. In a recent interview with the Athletic, Borg gave some insight into why he quit at such a young age.

"I was very happy as a player, but the motivation was not there," admitted Borg. "If you don’t have the motivation to practice and compete every day, you can’t focus on what you do and what you need to do. I was happy, but I had no motivation and no focus. When I came back briefly, that was a different story.
"I’m writing a book. I’m going to tell everyone all about it next year."

The 68-year old is currently in Berlin where he will captain Team Europe at this weekend's Laver Cup for the final time.