The tennis racket used by Bjorn Borg in the 1981 US Open Final v John McEnroe, a Donnay Borg Pro Personal Model racket signed by Borg in ink to the gr
£1,000 - £1,500
The tennis racket used by Bjorn Borg in the 1981 US Open Final v John McEnroe, a Donnay Borg Pro Personal Model racket signed by Borg in ink to the grip and inscribed in Swedish basta halsningar [Best Regards], complete with original head cover; sold with provenance comprising a 1982 poster relating to the racket being offered as a prize by Sparbankskort AB - Huskvarna [now Swedbank]; and a newsletter which has a picture of the racket being presented to the winner by a bank executive (3) The tennis players Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe had a legendary rivalry heightened by the fact their temperaments contrasted do dramatically; McEnroe the brash New Yorker, Borg the ice-cool Swede. 1981 proved to be the pivotal year when McEnroe gained supremacy over the Swede beating him in both the Wimbledon and US Open finals, latterly in four sets at Flushing Meadow. Borg all but retired after this match, making just fleeting appearances on the circuit thereafter.