Bjorn Borg faced many of the greats throughout his decorated career as a professional tennis player.

Borg won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, which was an Open Era record at the time and is now only bettered by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.

The 70-year-old Swede has now been retired for a number of years, but still remains involved within tennis, including being Team Europe’s captain in the Laver Cup for seven years until 2024.

When reflecting back on his playing career, Borg has now named the two players he thinks were the best he ever faced in his career.

Bjorn Borg names John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors as his two greatest opponents

Borg’s two greatest Grand Slam tournaments were Roland Garros and Wimbledon, where he won six and five titles, respectively. In an interview with Tennis Magazin, Borg was asked which of his five Wimbledon titles was the ‘most beautiful’ to him.

“Yes, the first one was probably the most beautiful,” answered Borg. “But the most satisfying was the fifth title against John McEnroe. That match had everything: excitement, great tennis, and an incredible crowd.

“For the first time, many people saw a tiebreak of that calibre, especially at a Grand Slam tournament. That’s why it was probably the most satisfying victory of my entire career.”

Borg was then later asked who the best player he has ever faced, as he named his great rival John McEnroe once again, and also added eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors.

“My biggest rivalries were with John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors,” said Borg. “The matches between the three of us were extraordinary. Even when McEnroe and Connors played against each other, it was always something special. Of course, there were other great players, but if I had to name two, it would be Connors and McEnroe.”

Bjorn Borg says if he now regrets coming back to tennis after retiring

What makes Borg’s success even more remarkable is that he actually retired from tennis at 26 years old as a result of burnout and a lack of motivation. Borg did then return to the ATP Tour seven years later, but he lost all 12 matches he played.

Borg was questioned on if he regrets making this comeback, but he stated that he does not as he explained the real reason he needed to return to professional tennis.

“No,” responded Borg. “Many people never understood why I came back. I didn’t come back to relaunch a great tennis career. My comeback had a completely different reason: I wanted to survive!

“I was in very bad shape at the time. In 1990, I trained in London for six months. I played badly, and I didn’t care at all. It wasn’t about playing good tennis. It was about getting my life back on track. Only my parents knew the real reason for my comeback. No one else.

“During that time, I received many offers from racket, shoe, and clothing companies. They offered me enormous sums of money because they knew I would be competing in Monte Carlo. But I turned them all down. People didn’t understand why someone could turn down so much money. They didn’t know why I was really coming back. I just wanted to save my life and be happy again.”

Borg may not have found any professional success when he came back to tennis, but that does not take away from the haul of 11 major titles he won in his career.