PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Not Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ingemar Stenmark or Jan-Ove Waldner.
No, the greatest Swedish athlete of all time according to Glenn Hysén is Björn Borg.
– You were glued to the TV when he played, says Hysén to Sportbibeln.
The former soccer player Glenn Hysen, 63, has played at big clubs such as Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven and Fiorentina. He also belonged to IFK Göteborg, which enjoyed great success during the 80s, and was team captain in the Swedish national team.
Hysén pays homage
Born in 1959, Hysén grew up during a time with many great Swedish athletes, and it is not difficult to list the top ones.
– You have been impressed by other athletes, that they can do it. Björn Borg, JO Waldner, Börje Salming, there are three straight away, he tells Sportbibeln.
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What made them so good?
– That they were so icy, never showed a face. Borg – five Wimbledon in a row – there is no such thing. Now he did more, he Novak Djokovic, but at that time. Waldner, he beat anyone. Börje Salming was the same when he played, rock hard. Just right in and push the opponents into the plank. No grumpiness or whining at the judges. No, they are big guys, says Hysén.
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Borg is the best
Choosing just one to name as Sweden’s greatest athlete of all time is not entirely easy.
– It’s so damn hard. I can remind myself of when I was growing up. When I was between 15-25 there, and even younger, it was only Ingemar Stenmark and Waldner and these.
– But the greatest for me is probably Björn Borg anyway. It was the athlete you became the most… You were glued to the TV when he played. It was absolutely incredible.
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Hysén tells that he came across Björn Borg a few times.
– He is a superb old man. Then you get starstruck, damn it. But he’s a damn good guy, a wonderful old man, a great person. So the success has not gone to his head, I can say that straight away.
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Believe in Borg jr
Do you have a feeling for what might become of Leo Borg?
– I don’t really have a clue about it. I know he’s damn good, but… What can I say? He has some catching up to do, if you say so, to the father then. But I hope that Björn himself hammers into Leo’s head that “don’t think about it.” But it is probably impossible not to think about it.
– He will probably be really good, but how good, I don’t know. It is difficult to answer, says Hysén.
Björn Borg won 97 singles titles, 11 of which were Grand Slam titles, during his career, finishing with a record of 644–135. The tennis legend has been inducted into both the Swedish and international “Tennis Hall of Fame”.
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