Borg's Day In Court

For the past decade, Bjorn Borg has dominated the scene on the international tennis courts. Now the 25-year-old Swedish champion is facing perhaps his most formidable opponent yet from a court of a different nature, as the jury of the All England Club of Wimbledon, in a special ad hoc session, debates his fate.

This week the directors will announce whether Borg must qualify for this year's Wimbledon, or whether the five-time champion will be granted an exemption. According to guidelines regulating men's professional tennis, Borg's refusal to play in the nine required Grand Prix tournaments requires that he qualify for each new contest. By threatening not to enter Wimbledon on this condition. Borg has put the Wimbledon elite at odds with ruling barons of the other major championships, and as the drama drags on, the conflicts and virtual anarchy in men's tennis are being "Bjorn" out.

The quandary--which Borg himself has forced--is actually a stab-in-the-back irony, considering it was on the Wimbledon grass courts that he won his unprecedented five consecutive titles, establishing himself at least for some as the greatest player of all time. Only eight years ago the teen angel drew the adoring squeals of British schoolgirls, and later the throngs of the tennis world who crowded his Wimbledon appearances. In the following seasons and pilgrimages to the English shrine of tennis, his revolutionary playing style and no-nonsense court side conduct earned him respect and defined professionalism in the game of tennis.

As the king of international tennis, the Ice-man epitomized the qualities of a superstar, a hero to cheer about and not be ashamed of. Now, however, Borg's reputation is being impugned by fans questioning his dedication to the game: Is he truly a champion, whose love for the challenge remains, or is he like the "others," vitiated by extraordinary talent into a celebrity profit-making enterprise?

But Borg's request is not the typical whining of bad-boy greedy athletes seeking privileged status. His case is genuinely different.

First off, on the basis of his record, he has certainly won the "privilege" to be excused from at least preliminary foot-soldier status. Indeed, invoking the rule doesn't question Borg's ability. As it stands now, if Borg did play his way through the qualifying rounds he would--upon entry to the main round--receive a seeding (as occurred last week when he made a comeback in Monte Carlo, his first tournament since his five-month layoff.) Borg's current request does not even include a demand for a top seed.

As attested by his straight set, 45-minute routing by Yannick Noah last week on his favorite surface, clay. Borg's return to top-flight tennis will require both time and match play against his real competitors (Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, and Jimmy connors), and not against satellite stars whom he would meet in qualifying rounds.

It's foreboding to conjecture how Borg will react if his appeal is rejected. Certainly, Borg's principal, and perhaps only, goal left in tennis is to win the U.S. Open, a title that has eluded him in the finals for the past two years. Face with a denial there, he would probably play the qualifying Wimbledon, for Borg, more an asterisk in the record books than a present challenge, is crucial as a tune-up for the September open classic in New York.

This is not to downgrade Wimbledon, still the most prestigious tournament in the world. But the U.S. Championships remains the Waterloo to Borg's tennis ego. If Wimbledon frustrates his comeback and his much-awaited struggle with destiny, the loss will surely be to the tennis community.

The verdict on the Borg case, then, can only be anticlimactic. Though a negative decision might taint the Borg legacy, his Wimbledon record and six French Open singles crowns assure him election into the Tennis Hall of Fame. Conceding to Borg's request would not jeopardize the legitimacy of the game--not from the perspective of his fellow competitors, or from that of the fans. In fact, Wimbledon should display flexibility and discretion by ruling in favor of Borg--if it has the courage or the conscience.