Have you ever interacted with your childhood hero? In an imaginary scenario, you would be speechless or just convey your adoration to them, right? But what if your idol calls you out of the blue to express their gratitude to you? 19-year-old Roger Federer least expected it as the man he will always call “the king” may not have dominated his thoughts on July 2, 2001. Did you have Björn Borg pegged down as someone fiercely protective of his own record? Maybe not, but the call may have been a catalyst to spur ‘RF’ to greatness. 

In Federer: Twelve Final Days, Roger Federer recounted the aftermath of his first trip to Wimbledon’s famous Centre Court. His task? Stop top seed and world no.1 Pete Sampras. That was quite something as the American had the most Slams by a male player (at the time) and had lost only once at SW19 since falling to Goran Ivanisevic in 1992. After three hours and 41 minutes, Federer read ‘Pistol Pete’s serve and sent a forehand winner down the line as the stadium erupted.

23 years later, Roger Federer did not address the on-court efforts of his 7-6 (9/7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5 fourth-round win. Instead, the documentary cut to the 20-time Grand Slam Champion’s narration of the aftermath. “I have a funny story with Björn as well. When I beat Sampras at Wimbledon back in 2001. Sampras was going for his record sixth Wimbledon in a row,” Federer said while sitting with the Swede at a table ahead of his farewell and talking about playing on the same court three times in a row.

“My agent said, ‘Hey look, I’ve somebody on the phone with you who wants to talk to you,’ and it was Björn. And Björn told me, ‘Roger, I just wanted to let you know, thank you so much for protecting my record,’ because he had won five in a row as well, like Pete did.”

It is important to note that Roger Federer made a minor error in his address, as Sampras never won five consecutive Wimbledon titles. ‘Pistol Pete’s seven titles were split in two spells, i.e. 1993-1995 and 1997-2000. The American lost to Richard Krajicek in 1996.

What Borg may have meant by “protecting my record” was thanking the youngster for his effort in ensuring his five in a row were not equaled. Nevertheless, the euphoria of the win and interacting with his idol may have seen Federer overlook that fact. He may not even have known the numbers, which is the ideal case for a young sports player. The error is also proof that even the mighty Roger Federer is human; something many may have doubted, given his charm, grace, and eloquence. 

He simply played the opponent and looked to make a name for himself. His recounted words to Borg implied the same as he continued, “And I was like, ‘Oh, well, yeah, I mean, you’re welcome. I didn’t do it because of you, but, yeah’.” 

Björn Borg did not think of Roger Federer equaling his Wimbledon record

Roger Federer would have been the darling of British tennis fans, as his win over Sampras ensured Tim Henman did not have to play the American again. The British player had fallen to ‘Pistol Pete’ in 1998 and 1999. Federer lost to Henman in four sets (with two tiebreakers going against him) and exited SW19 in the opening round the following year. This may not come as a surprise as new players come in, save their best for the one who is on top, and then struggle to replicate their form. Let’s look at some names who beat the Swiss star but did not kick on.

Ernests Gulbis sent Roger Federer packing the fourth round of the 2014 French Open and eventually advanced to the semifinal, but advanced to the last 16 just twice in his next 18 Grand Slam appearances. Also, Sergiy Stakhovsky, who upset the Swiss star, in Wimbledon 2013 round 2, lost in the third round and had just one more trip into the final 32 at a Slam. ‘RF’ did take a while, not making another Slam quarter until his breakthrough at Wimbledon 2003. Considering this, it is not so alarming when Borg said he did not think Federer would be in Sampras’s shoes. 

Six years after the Sampras match, Borg recounted his 2001 conversation, saying, “It’s funny, because I didn’t think of that when I called him back then. And then there I was (at Wimbledon), thinking, ‘This was the guy I called before and thanked him, and now he has the chance of equaling the record.’” Did the call spur Federer on?

Playing purely for himself helped Federer do the very thing he denied Sampras. He beat Rafael Nadal and emulated his idol. And guess what? Borg wanted the Swiss player to equal it. He said to Tennis.com, “I was not rooting for anyone in particular, I was hoping for a great final and I knew it would be a great match…but I said before that it couldn’t happen to a nicer person if Roger would equal the record. It is a difficult record to beat, but I was hoping Federer would do it.” Interestingly, Wimbledon 2007 also saw Federer win his eleventh slam and equal Borg’s all-time tally. 

A common fan sentiment around that time would have been that Borg supported Nadal at Wimbledon and Federer in the French Open to ensure his streaks remained intact. He did back Nadal for the 2008 Wimbledon. Roger Federer also became the beneficiary of Nadal’s early exit in 2009, which saw the Spaniard remain tied with the Swede on four consecutive French Opens. Nadal, though, started afresh in 2010 and broke the record when he beat Novak Djokovic in 2014. 

Borg’s Wimbledon streak remains intact and maybe, just maybe, he could team up with the 20-time Grand Slam champion if someone is on the brink of making it five in a row. Novak Djokovic was close last year, with the direction of the first set making it seem likely, but Carlos Alcaraz prevented it. Did Borg repeat the same “I owe you big time” to the young Spaniard, just as he had told Federer? We do not know, yet.