Former Britain tennis player John Lloyd recalled one of
the incidents which led to unimaginable fame for Sweden’s Bjorn Borg.
The 67-year-old is often described as one of the greatest
men’s singles tennis players in the history of the Open era.
Lloyd, who is also the ex-husband of the former world number
one Chris Evert, revealed an interesting incident which led to the rise in
Borg’s popularity.
"In those days obviously there was no internet, no cell
phones, no nothing like that and he created a storm one year at Wimbledon,” he
said. “I still don’t to this day, don’t really know how he did it because there
was no social media to publicise what he was doing.
"All of a sudden he had these women screaming in the
crowd, these young women they called him ‘Teeny Bopper.’ It sort of grew the
first day they were I don’t know fifty that were all screaming from different
sorts of the call on Court No. 2 and then the next day he played and it grew to
200 and 300.
"Next minute they had police guards escorts which in
those days it never happened now of course it does. He became a sensation and
he was like the tennis players’ ‘Beatle,’" Lloyd stated.”
Borg ended up winning as many as 15 Grand Slam titles in his
illustrious career which lasted for more than two decades.
His most successful competition was the French Open where he
ended up lifting the title six times — in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.