BJORN BORG: MY LIFE AND GAME

Borg in print is like Borg in person: distant. The title notwithstanding, he has very little to say about his life before tennis or his life outside tennis; what we get is largely description of how this or that game was played, with some ""personal"" bits thrown in (Borg wears size 32 shorts, his ""personal habits"" include ""sweatlets on both hands plus tape over knuckles. . . ""). The voice is stilted (""My future goal is to win more big titles and be regarded as the greatest player of all time""); the comments of other tennis players interviewed-Connors, Vilas, Gerulaitis, etc.--stick to the business of tournament-play; and Scott's little boosts are often an irritant: ""Readers should make no mistake, Borg has brains. Measure this man by his performance, perserverance, or patience, or by his loyalty, or by his courage in crises, and not by glibness."" Here and there Borg advances an opinion: no commissioner of tennis is needed (the leagues will sort themselves out unaided, and so will officiating problems); coaching is in a sorry state (silly advice such as ""watch the ball"" should be dropped--""I believe tennis is a game of instinct and common sense rather than proper grips and tedious tips""). But there are big gaps too--not a word is said, for instance, about women's tennis. Still, this is sure to be read as the only word (somewhat) straight from the mouth of the enigmatic superachiever himself.