Bjorn Borg declines felicitation in India after state Chief Minister arrives late
A felicitation ceremony was organized to felicitate Bjorn Borg. However, the state's Chief Minister came late and the tennis legend decided to leave as he wanted to watch his son play.
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Bjorn Borg (Image Credit: Latestly)
Bjorn Borg is in India to watch his son Leo Borg play in the ATP Challenger tournaments in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune. As the tennis legend was in Bengaluru, the Karnataka government decided to felicitate him along with Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj at the Karnataka State Law Tennis Association (KSLTA) courts.
However, as Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai could not arrive on time, Bjorn Borg decided to walk out to watch his son, Leo Borg, play at the Bengaluru Open and not get felicitated. The Bengaluru Open is part of the ATP Challenger Tour.
“The chief minister could not make it on time because of his other commitments. He was also scheduled to go to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport after spending time at the KSLTA. However, when we informed the chief minister about calling off the felicitation, he took it sportively. I think the issue has been blown out of proportion,” Chief Secretary of KSLTA Sunil Yajaman told the media.
“Although the chief minister did not meet Borg, he met Amritraj. He also spent about 15 minutes watching a match and then left for HAL,” he further added.
Vijay Amritraj too declined to get felicitated, citing that it was inappropriate to get felicitated in the absence of Bjorn Borg. The two legends will be felicitated by the Chief Minister of Karnataka in another function scheduled to be organized soon.
“Both of them will be felicitated at the chief minister’s office tomorrow or the day after,” Mr. Yajaman continued.
Meanwhile, Leo Borg lost to Yu Hsiou Hsu in his first-round match 2-6, 3-6 in the Bengaluru Open.
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An icon-Bjorn Borg
For many tennis fans, Bjorn Borg during his playing days was the epitome of excellence. The Swedish won the hearts of millions with his skills and abilities on the court. He played only for 8 years between 1974 and 1981. During this period, he won 11 Grand Slam titles.
He loved to play on the clay court, and even his records state so. He won six French Open titles. But he got acknowledgment as one of the greats when he won five consecutive Wimbledon titles between 1976 and 1980. He also became the first tennis player to win more than $1 million in prize money in a season. Also, he is remembered for his iconic rivalry with seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe.
However, at the height of his career, he shocked the world when he decided to take early retirement at the young age of 25. Although he returned to the sport in 1991, he did not have enough success. He finally decided to retire in 1993.
He is currently captain of Team Europe in the Laver Cup, where he renews his rivalry with John McEnroe. John McEnroe is the captain of Team World.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)