WIMBLEDON SEX SYMBOL HAD 'YOUNG LADIES THROWING THEMSELVES AT HIM' LIKE THE BEATLES
Tennis players have largely become known for their champion mentality on the court and their private, polite nature off it - see Roger Federer. While some of the biggest names today keep the focus on their tennis, the game's stars once had a very different reputation. And two-time Grand Slam champion Tracy Austin has explained exactly how her generation earned a reputation for being celebrities and sex symbols.
The sport has largely kept away from the realm of celebrity in recent decades, with only the likes of the Williams sisters and Naomi Osaka making appearances on talk shows. But tennis stars were once as famous as The Beatles, with women "throwing themselves" at Bjorn Borg while other stars hit headlines for their relationships with each other.
"I mean when Bjorn walked through the grounds of Wimbledon to go to the tea room, he was like a rockstar," Austin told Express Sport. "It was like The Beatles, you just saw this magnetism and people wanted to know more about him and who he was dating so it wasn't just the tennis but it was the off-court stuff."
And it wasn't just the 11-time Grand Slam champion who was making waves when it came to his love life, as Chris Evert also hit headlines as she had relationships with several colleagues and actor Burt Reynolds. "We don't see a lot of it now," former world No 1 Austin continued.
"But with Chrissie dating Burt Reynolds and engaged to Jimmy and then she marries John Lloyd, that might pull in some fans who are not interested in sport and cross-courts and backhand lobs, you know what I'm saying? There were a lot of just the tennis players you've got to respect them as champions but celebrities. When I came home I was on so many different shows that didn't have anything to do with tennis. So it kind of crossed over the barrier of just sports."
Austin burst onto the scene when she was just 14 years old and at the age of 16, she defeated Evert to win her first of two US Open titles. The American described the era as a "tennis boom" and said that even in the midst of the golden era, the players were aware of the hysteria they were causing.
"It was very apparent," she said. "You had Bjorn Borg who was swarmed, the young ladies just throwing themselves at him like the Beatles and he was just a sex symbol to tell you the truth. And very quiet, played from the baseline, very stoic."
The 30-time title winner also named two other American stars who hit headlines, adding: "And he couldn't have a better foil to come in than John McEnroe who the tabloids could not get enough of because they called him super brat, they had all sorts of these names and every time that he played in a match at Wimbledon he's basically going against the decorum of Wimbledon.
"It's quiet and gracious and gentlemanly and he's McEnroe throwing his racket and screaming at the umpire, But that intrigued fans because it was such a contrast to Bjorn with a lefty serve-and-volleyer who is so against Bjorn who was buttoned up, airtight groundstrokes, so precise, sex symbol. And then you throw in Jimmy Connors in there who, it was very apparent there was a disliking between John and Jimmy Connors so that makes people more intrigued. And there's no love affair there, they're not crazy about each other."
Gods of Tennis launches on Sunday, June 4 at 9pm on BBC Two. All episodes will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.