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Bjorn Borg 1976 Wimbledon Match Used Donnay Allwood Tennis Racquet

This is one special match used Racquet from Bjorn Borg. Lennart Bergelin had this one put away after the 1976 Wimbledon tournament. It was restrung in order to have it put on display at several museums around Sweden. Rose Marie Bergelin's letter, Lennarts wife, along with a letter from Borg himself attest to these facts, both signed and dated giving this racquet impeccable provenance. This Donnay Allwood tips the scales at 418 grams, unheard of at the time. The leather grip is from Fairway which all of Borg’s racquets had affixed after 1974. Borg was also the only player to have the extended grip for his patented two-handed back hand. The Ice man’s racquets were all specially designed with Lennart Bergelin personally handling all his equipment. Every racquet was carefully constructed, gripped and strung to his exact specifications and tested prior to tournaments. These Donnay Allwoods became an iconic symbol from the first rock star of Tennis, Bjorn Borg. There are no other Wimbledon match used racquets with letters from Borg, they simply do not exist. This is a very rare opportunity to acquire not only a piece of Borg's Tennis memorabilia, but an item from the history of sports. The poster signed to our consignor is a nice touch in regards to this collection.

This racquet, along with all the other Bjorn Borg Items in this auction, come from the Lennart Bergelin collection. Lennart was Borg's coach, trainer and equipment man. He also managed every aspect of Borg's career. After his passing in 2012, his son Niclas found this treasure trove of items in his fathers’ attic. It is literally a comprehensive collection from one of the most influential people to ever come along in sports history.

Borg won Wimbledon in 1976 without losing a set, defeating the favoured Ilie Nastase in the final. Borg became the youngest male Wimbledon singles champion since Sidney Wood in 1931 at 20 years and 1 month (a record subsequently broken by Boris Becker, who won Wimbledon aged 17 in 1985). Năstase later said, "We're playing tennis and he's playing something else.

The last couple photos are of Lennart Bergelin with Borg.

Björn Borg is a Swedish former World No. 1 tennis player counted amongst the greatest tennis players of all time. The first male professional to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles and holds numerous Open Era records which still stands. He uniquely pulled off five successive Wimbledon victories between 1976 and 1980 and, also achieved in three consecutive years the most difficult “double” in tennis, victory on clay at the French Open in Paris followed by victory on grass at Wimbledon.   In addition to those distinctions, he was the ITF Champion from 1978-80, ATP player of the year from 1976-80 and, was the year-end world No. 1 in the ATP rankings in 1979 and 1980. In 1979 he became the first player to earn more than one million dollars in prize money in a single season.

In nine attempts at the Men’s Singles between the years of 1973 and 1981, Borg won 51 matches and lost four. Between his 1975 quarter-final defeat by the eventual champion, Arthur Ashe, and his loss in the 1981 final to John McEnroe, Borg won 41 consecutive singles at The Wimbledon Championships.

Borg turned professional in 1973 after winning the Wimbledon Junior Championship in 1972 and managed to reach the fourth round of his first French Open. He won his first top-level singles title at the Italian Open in 1974, shortly before his 18th birthday and became the youngest winner of that tournament, and two weeks later he became the youngest-ever male to win the French Open.  In 1976, at the age of 20 years and 1 month, he became the youngest male of the modern era when up to that time to win the Wimbledon Championship.  It was his first, and he did it in an astonishing sequence by demolishing seven opponents, culminating with Ilie Nastase, without dropping a set. It was only the fourth time a man had done that at Wimbledon, and it has not been accomplished since. 

Borg retired from professional tennis in January 1983 at the age of 26 after 10 years on tour. During his career he polarized the world after becoming the first “rock star” of the tennis circuit in a phenomenon known as Borgmania.  This was due to his cool demeanor, his long hair that flowed to his shoulders, to the headbands he always wore, his tight-fitting Fila "White Line " and "Settanta" lines of shirts and shorts, and of course his famous Donnay racquet that featured a longer leather handle to accommodate his two-handed backhand that he revolutionized.

Lennart Bergelin was a Swedish tennis player and coach. As a player, for AIK, Bergelin won nine Swedish championship singles titles between 1945 and 1955, and the French Open doubles title in 1948. Bergelin is best known for his work with Björn Borg, whom he coached from 1971 until the tennis star retired in 1983, helping him to win 11 Grand Slam tournaments. Bergelin also captained Sweden to its first Davis Cup title.  Some tennis coaches focus on the mechanics of the game, teaching perfection of form, grips, and other techniques. Others emphasize strategy, inspiration, and other mental aspects of the game. Yet others strive to simply bring out the natural best in their players. It is in the third category that one finds Lennart Bergelin.

"We are almost like father and son," Borg once told The New Yorker. "Lennart has a nice touch. He always gets you in a good mood and that is a big thing when you are playing professional tennis tournaments." Bergelin agreed: "One of the most important things I do for Bjorn is to be a good friend. That is not hard. We know each other well, we get along well, we enjoy talking tennis together, and when he feels tired and over-worked, I can help out by being good company."

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Bjorn-Borg-1976-Wimbledon-TennisBjorn_Borg_Tennis_Racquet_WimbledonBjorn-Borg-AutographBjorn-Borg-Autographed-Wimbledon-Match-Used-Tennis-racquetBjorn-Borg-Fairway-Grip-Wimbledon-Tennis-racquetBjorn-Borg-Match-Used-Tennis-RacketBjorn-Borg-RacquetDonnay-AllwoodBjorn-Borg-Match-WimbledonDonnay-Allwood-Bjorn-Borg-Tennis-racquetDonnay-Allwood-Tennis-CapAllwood-Tennis-RacquetSwedish tennis star Bjorn Borg, with his trademark wooden racket, during a tennis match.Borg Wimby 1976

100-percent-authentic
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