He has reached the semis at Wimbledon at an age when most players start looking for life after tennis. This doubles specialist from Sweden has surely done the ‘oldies gang’ a favour, writes Gaurav Gupta
It’s the season of the oldies, for sure. A French team, littered with veterans of their famous 1998 World Cup win, dribbles past its younger, fitter, leaner opponents on its way to the final in Germany, turning back the clock. And who spearheads the campaign? Zinedine Zidane. His age? 34. Anil Kumble, 35, bowls India to a historic win against the West Indies. Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya comes back from retirement and smashes the English bowling to pieces. His age? 37.
The most unexpected, but perhaps the most impactful blow for the ‘30 plus’ gang was struck, though, by a Swedish tennis player, till now more renowned for his excellence on the doubles circuit. Jonas Bjorkman, at 34 considered as ‘over the hill,’ produced some outstanding tennis to put his name on the final four list at Wimbledon, becoming the oldest man to be there since American Jimmy Connors made it to that stage in 1986.
He faces a mountain named Roger Federer next, and it wouldn’t be inappropriate to say that heroic feat may have reached its culmination point. Even if he is annihilated by the planet’s top player on Friday, what Bjorkman has achieved deserves a warm round of applause from sports fans. He successfully survived two straight gruelling five-setters against his doubles partner Max Mirnyi and a Martina Hingis-inspired Radek Stepanek, even while furthering his campaign in the doubles and mixed doubles sections. To do all that, one needs supreme fitness, athleticism and a determination of steel — and Bjorkman has displayed all this qualities in abundance this year at the All-England Club. Reaching the final of the Nottingham Open, a tournament he has won twice before, prior to Wimbledon gave him the confidence, and Bjorkman thrived on it.
It would be unfair to compare him with his more illustrious compatriots Bjorn Borg and Stefan Edberg, for, realising his strengths early on, he concentrated his skills on a different category. And he did carve a niche for himself. When he won the French Open crown with Mirnyi, he passed Anders Jarryd and became the first Swedish doubles player to nine Grand Slam titles.There’s much more to Bjorkman though. Married to a woman called Petra for the last six years, he has a reputation for playing practical jokes which cross all limits, at times. Consider this.
When Sweden was preparing to play against Italy in the Davis Cup in 1998 at Monaco, he, along with Nicklas Kulti fooled national captains Carl-Axel Hakeskog and Anders Jarryd into believing that Prince Albert of Monaco had invited them all to dinner at the palace. Excited by this, both men got all dressed up, and led the entire squad all the way up to the palace, where they were subsequently turned out by the guards. Jonas and Kulti then spilled the beans, but not before Hakeskog had, earlier during the day, with barely concealed pride, mentioned the Prince’s invite in an interview with Radio Kronoberg. This piece of ‘information’ was picked up by the TT (National News Service) team and soon enough, the news was all over…
He has other whacky habits as well. He owns around 20 pairs of sunglasses, and he is known to be crazy about good clothes. He is a self-confessed compulsive gambler. In fact, he admits that the existence of casinos around the city was a major reason for him to be choosing Monaco as his permanent residence.
On court, he was incredibly hot-tempered till a recent while, just like John McEnroe. Incidentally, McEnroe has chosen him as his doubles partner, and Bjorkman admits that the two have fairly similar playing styles. A similar behavioural pattern might have assisted the tuning as well! If he does manage to topple Federer, Bjorkman’s deed would rank alongside those of Borg and Edberg, the best his country has produced. Even if he doesn’t, he has made a point. Good players mature like wine. Their best may just be saved for the last.
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