"John was the first to tell me" - Bjorn Borg recalls getting angry phone call from John McEnroe after selling his Wimbledon trophies

Retired tennis star Bjorn Borg made the difficult decision to auction off his Wimbledon trophies in 2006. However, the Swede received backlash from long-time rival John McEnroe, who was irate at Borg's decision to part with his prized possessions.

Borg etched his name in tennis history during his career, reaching the World No.1 spot while also winning 11 Grand Slam titles, including five consecutive trophies at Wimbledon. The Swedish star faced several tennis legends during his prime, and shared a complicated relationship with American John McEnroe, who often battled Borg for numerous titles during their stay on tour.

Following his retirement, the former World No.1 faced financial challenges, leading him to consider selling his prized possessions via Bonhams auction house. The replica trophies were estimated to rake in between £200,000 to £300,000.

"It's not easy to part with the trophies," admitted Borg in a statement at that time. "However, I do need to have some long-term financial security for those close to me. I now believe that the time is right for the trophies and rackets to pass either to a tennis collector or to a suitable institution."

However, an irate McEnroe reached out to Borg via telephone following the decision, upset that the Swede would choose to part with the symbols of their famous battles.

"He [McEnroe] said: 'What the hell are you doing?" recalled Borg. "It was a stupid thing for me to do anyway, but the thing was, everything is up here anyway [he pointed to his head]. What I have achieved in tennis, what I won, I have all the memories up here, and that's what counts, here in my heart and here in my head.
"Trophies are important too, but not as much as the memories of what you've been through in life. But it was a stupid decision. John was the first to tell me! So I bought them back, and it cost me more money to buy them back. Now the trophies are in a safe place."

Borg would later admit he was touched by the gesture, as it highlighted the deep friendship and respect the two had for each other. McEnroe himself would affirm their close relationship during an interview on Scandinavian TV show Skavlan in 2016.

"I think he is the only one of my rivals that I actually got along with," said McEnroe. "Everyone else, I was fighting all the time. I think, believe it or not, our personalities are pretty similar. We have the same sense of humor. I think we think about things in a similar way, whether it's something serious or something that's not so serious.
"In the 12 and Unders, he behaved worse than I did. I don't think many people would believe that, but apparently, his father suspended him or wouldn't let him play tennis for 6 months!"