Swedish era draws to close after 30 years

Every year since 1974, when Borg won the French Open, a Swede has taken at least one men's singles title. In most of the last 20 years there have been multiple Swedish winners.

Borg won 62 singles titles, Edberg 41 and Wilander 33. They were all world number ones and the cream of a Swedish crop that also included Magnus Gustafsson (14 titles), Anders Jarryd (8), and Henrik Sundstrom and Jonas Svensson (5).

Last year Thomas Johansson, Thomas Enqvist and Jonas Bjorkman won tournaments, Johansson taking the Australian Open.

But as the last regular season event got underway this week, no Swede had lifted an ATP singles trophy in 2003.

Robin Soderling, a 19-year-old, came mighty close in Stockholm last week, losing the final in a third set tiebreak to American Mardy Fish.

The last hope, Bjorkman, is still alive in Paris after beating Agustin Calleri 6-4 7-6 in the first round on Tuesday.

But he has almost no chance of winning the title, especially as he is concentrating on the doubles where he hopes to partner Todd Woodbridge to the Australian's 79th title, a record. The season ends with the eight-man Masters Cup in Houston next month.

BORG'S IMPACT

These days, with Russians and Belgians threatening to take over at the top of the women's rankings and seven nationalities represented in the top 10 of the men's Champions Race, it is easy to forget what an impact Borg had on tennis.

In the 1960s and early 1970s men's tennis was a game still dominated by Americans and Australians with only the occasional 'exotic' player like Manuel Santana and Ilie Nastase breaking the mould.

Borg was the dynamite that blew down the walls of the old tennis empire, allowing youngsters from nations who had viewed the hallowed courts of Wimbledon from afar to dream of taking the All England Club by storm.

Just 18 when he won the French Open, Borg became the beautiful face of tennis, attracting millions to the game as much with his smile, long blond hair and headband as with his baseline prowess and five Wimbledon trophies.

Nowhere was his impact greater than in his home country, a tennis backwater. Once Borg had almost single-handedly won the Davis Cup for Sweden in Stockholm in 1975, every young Swede wanted a racket and the country went tennis mad.

Sweden have won the Davis Cup another eight times since Borg's retirement from full-time tennis in 1981 -- more than any other country -- and Swedish players have taken 14 men's Grand Slam titles.

Only the United States have a better record. But whereas Andy Roddick has proved he has the game and guts to take over from Pete Sampras, a true successor to Borg, Wilander and Edberg is yet to show himself in Sweden.