Borg has just lit up the Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm. But as you can probably imagine, it isn’t Bjorn Borg who’s doing the lighting up, not forty-two years after his shock retirement that reverberated throughout the tennis world. Instead, it’s Leo Borg, his 22-year-old son, who made his debut earlier this season in Barcelona. Borg Jr. has a long way to go before he catches up to his father’s mammoth milestones, but he seems to have taken the first step toward that objective.

At the Stockholm Open this week, Bjorn’s son Leo Borg is competing for his first-ever career title. So far, he has mostly just appeared in ITF-level events. But this ATP 250 campaign may yet change his fortunes in the best way possible. It might be too early to make any predictions, but Leo registered his first ever win in Stockholm on Monday, which also marks his second ever ATP win.

What’s remarkable is that Borg is ranked 622nd in the world and still managed to defeat World No. 140 Sebastian Ofner in the first round, 6-3, 6-4. Now, what’s even more remarkable is the full circle moment precipitated by his win: his father Bjorn’s last-ever career match also took place in Stockholm, 45 years ago. And in that encounter, too, Borg Sr. won with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4. During the 1980 edition, the 11-time Grand Slam winner bested John McEnroe in the final to clinch the title.

Undoubtedly, Leo was elated after kicking off his campaign on a good note. “This is really special. My first Stockholm win is so special,” he said, via the ATP Tour’s website on October 13. “I really stepped up my game, so I’m really happy with my performance. I have the level, but the consistency has not been my greatest side.”

He added, “I’ve really worked on my stuff, and I really stepped up today and showed myself, and the tennis people, that I really belong here.” Despite witnessing a phase marred by injuries previously, he managed “to come back and show myself that I really belong here. It’s a good, positive thing. I just have to keep doing my thing.”

Being the son of the great Bjorn Borg, one would think that Leo needs to look no further to find a tennis player to idolize. But interestingly enough, it’s not his dad, but rather Rafael Nadal who’s earned Leo’s adulation. “He [Nadal] has always been my biggest idol,” revealed Borg last year, before adding that the Spaniard was the reason he picked up a tennis racket.

The two even faced off last season for the first time at the Nordea Open. “It was incredible because we were watching when they made the draw and my name came out against Rafa,” said the 22-year-old. Though Nadal beat him in the first round in straight sets, the result paled in comparison to the experience. Just over a year later through, Leo finally has a first-round victory under his belt and will be hoping to go the distance.

Bjorn Borg’s son looks to leave an impact in Stockholm

It took Leo Borg 76 minutes to overcome Ofner, and it took him 9 attempts to finally best a top-150 player. Currently sitting outside of the top 600, the Swede is trying to improve his previous career-best ranking of No. 334, after now falling to 622nd place.

After he conquered Ofner for his second ATP win, Borg reflected on his on-court performance. “I knew he had a big game, so I really had to play much better. But I really stepped up today and am really happy with my performance. Yeah, really good.”

The victory is even sweeter considering Borg had to spend time on the sidelines recently while recuperating from injury. “I’ve been injured for some time and how I managed today to come back and show myself that I really belong here,” he said. “It’s a good, positive thing. I just have to keep doing my thing.” 

But the journey has just begun, to say the least. In his next battle, the youngster will have to give his two hundred percent. World No. 23 and the 2019 champion Denis Shapovalov will no doubt be a huge challenge.

Still, the prospect of Leo pulling off the impossible and emulating one of his father’s Stockholm campaigns is an enticing one. Back in the day, Bjorn Borg had some memorable runs in his hometown, winning Stockholm in 1980, reaching the final once, and making the semifinals thrice. But as Valentin Vacherot’s win at Shanghai showed, anything is possible. It will be intriguing to see how Leo Borg’s time in Stockholm unfolds.