 Bergelin in 1950 | |
| Country (sports) |  Sweden |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 June 1925 Alingsås, Sweden |
| Died | 4 November 2008(2008-11-04) (aged 83) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Turned pro | 1946 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1955 (played sporadically afterwards) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 212–94, (69.3%)[1] |
| Career titles | 25[1] |
| Highest ranking | No. 9 (1948,John Olliff)[2] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1955) |
| French Open | QF (1948, 1951) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1946, 1948, 1951) |
| US Open | 3R (1954) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–2 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1948) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1948) |
Sven Lennart Bergelin (10 June 1925 – 4 November 2008) was a Swedishtennis player and coach. As a player, forAIK, Bergelin won nine Swedish championship singles titles between 1945 and 1955, and the French Open doubles title in 1948. Bergelin is best known for his work withBjörn Borg, whom he trained between 1971 and 1983, helping him to win 11 Grand Slam tournaments. Bergelin also captained Sweden to its first Davis Cup title.[3]
During a ten-year period, between 1946 and 1955, Bergelin was ranked among the top 10 amateur players in the world, reaching World No. 9 inJohn Olliff's 1948 amateur rankings.[2] He won 20 national championships (9 singles and 11 doubles) and became the first Swedish player ever to win a grand slam, as he andJaroslav Drobný won theFrench doubles championship in 1948. Bergelin played 89Davis Cup matches representing Sweden and won 63 of these. He played the last DC game, at the age of 40, together withJan-Erik Lundqvist. Between 1971 and 1976, Bergelin captained the Swedish DC team and in 1975 he led them to victory as they defeatedCzechoslovakia in the finals.
Bergelin was awarded theSvenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1950.
Between 1974 and 1981, he and Björn Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles (6 French Open and 5 Wimbledon) of 16 Grand Slam finals became the first player-coach combination who won more than 10 major titles in the Open-era. During this period helped Borg become the first player in the Open Era to win three majors without dropping a set. Borg remains the only male player to win the Channel-Slam (French Open, Wimbledon back-to-back wins) in the same year for 3 consecutive years. Furthermore, as of today, his protege still holds a number ofrecords; winning 41 consecutive sets at French Open (1979-1981) and being undefeated for 41 consecutive matches in Wimbledon (1976-1981).
Bergelin died in 2008. According to Peter Bengtsson, a spokesman for theSwedish Tennis Association, he died fromheart failure at a Stockholm hospital.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1948 | French Championships | Clay |  Jaroslav Drobný |  Harry HopmanFrank Sedgman | 8–6, 6–1, 12–10 |
| Preceded by | Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal 1950 | Succeeded by |