Björn Borg

Borg was a teenage sensation who became world No. 1 and held it for 109 weeks, racking up 66 singles titles and becoming ATP Player of the Year from 1976 to 1980. He won four consecutive French Opens starting in 1978, went undefeated across six French Open finals, and claimed the Channel Slam three times - the only man to do it. His rivalries with Jimmy Connors and especially John McEnroe transcended the sport; the 1980 Wimbledon final is still called one of the greatest matches ever played. In 1979 he became the first player to earn over a million dollars in prize money in a single season. After losing to McEnroe in the 1981 Wimbledon and US Open finals, Borg walked away at 25, leaving the US Open as the one major he never won despite reaching four finals. A brief comeback in 1991 went nowhere.