1979
McEnroe Came, Conquered, and Talked
Björn Borg had yet to win the tournament and wasn’t entirely comfortable on the fast vinyl court. He realized that it would be very difficult to win against McEnroe on that surface, and perhaps that’s why he chose a tournament in Tokyo instead.
But McEnroe came. He came, he conquered, and he talked. Talked to the extent that he got a large part of the spectators and the press against him. Many thought he gained an unfair advantage by constantly complaining to referees and about decisions, while others just found the spectacle entertaining.
In any case, he won, although he had to work harder for his victories than the previous year. Especially in the final, where his compatriot Gene Mayer won the first set 7–6 and led 3–1 in the second. But McEnroe showed his class and turned the match in his favor.
The Swedes didn’t stand out much, though 16-year-old Jan Gunnarsson impressed by giving Peter Fleming a tough match. But he lost.
After a three-year break, an attempt was made again to include a women’s event in the tournament. The American world star Billie Jean King, who turned 36 a couple of weeks after leaving Stockholm, won the final against Betty Stöve from the Netherlands.
1978
Anniversary with Tennis History
Even Björn Borg came, as did the newest American star, John McEnroe. He had shown both class and temperament since his breakthrough at Wimbledon the previous year.
Everything was set for a grand spectacle, and it was. Borg won all his matches 2–0, and so did McEnroe, until they met in the semifinals.
It was a great match, but it didn’t end the way the audience wanted. McEnroe won 6–3, 6–4, and Borg lost for the first time in an elite setting to a younger opponent. Björn was now 21, John was 19. At the press conference, both were very polite – Borg predicted a brilliant future for McEnroe, and McEnroe said that Borg was still the best in the world.
But in Stockholm, the young American was the best. In the final, his compatriot Tim Gullikson had no chance and lost 6–2, 6–2.
– "I’ll be back next year," said McEnroe.
1977
Borg Boycotted, Johansson Surprised
Björn Borg didn’t appreciate how parts of the Swedish press covered his life and successes, so he retaliated by not registering for the tournament in 1977.
It didn’t affect the newspapers, but it hit the organizers and the audience, and they weren’t happy, especially his club mates at Salk. But Borg, being stubborn, didn’t change his mind.
Several other Swedish players got the chance to shine, and a few of them won a match or two. The furthest went 26-year-old Kjell Johansson, who reached the quarterfinal against the experienced South African Ray Moore, but lost by a narrow margin.
Moore advanced to the final but came up short against the American Sandy Mayer. Mark Cox, who had won in 1976, was knocked out in the second round.
1976
No One Expected Cox
Could the tournament be more star-studded than the previous year? Yes, actually. Almost the entire world elite was present, and both Connors and Borg were bigger stars than in 1975 after an unforgettable summer when they met in the U.S. Open final.
The dream was for them to progress through their respective halves of the draw and meet in the Stockholm final. But things didn’t go as planned – Borg, slightly ill and out of form, was knocked out in the third round by Brian Gottfried. Jimmy Connors lost a tough semifinal to the Englishman Mark Cox, who hit his peak at the right time and wore Connors down with a varied and winning game.
Cox, who no one had counted on, won the whole tournament. His tactics also worked against Manuel Orantes in the final, where he won 4–6, 7–6, 7–5. Even though the Spaniard led 5–3 in the final set and had the opportunity to serve out the match.
– "My biggest victory, but what luck I had. Someone up there must like me," said Cox.
1975
Panatta Charmed and Won
Never before had the Stockholm Open been such a star-studded tournament. The seeding was topped by last year’s winner Arthur Ashe, followed by Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas, Björn Borg, Ilie Năstase, Jan Kodeš, and Roscoe Tanner.
But none of them took home the winner's check. That honor went to the Italian Adriano Panatta, who found a perfect balance in his game and won over the crowd. Especially in the final against Jimmy Connors, who had knocked out home favorite Borg in the semifinal. Panatta displayed his full range of skills, easily winning 6–4, 6–3, with the entire hall standing and cheering.
It wasn’t just Panatta’s style that was appreciated; Connors had made himself quite unpopular with an arrogant demeanor both on and off the court. And, of course, he had knocked out Björn Borg, whom everyone wanted to see win.
There were good reasons for the high expectations of the 18-year-old from Södertälje. He had had a fantastic season, especially in the Davis Cup, and was already a global star.
A women’s tournament was also organized that year on a trial basis. The British player Virginia Wade won the final against France's Françoise Dürr with a 2–1 score.
1974
Thigh Injury Stopped Björn
Björn Borg was now a big deal, 17 years old, and the favorite to win the Stockholm Open.
Last year’s winner, Tom Gorman, was injured and withdrew. But unfortunately, Björn also got injured. He pulled a thigh muscle against Brian Gottfried in the third round and was clearly hindered, though he still demolished Manuel Orantes 6–1, 6–1 in the quarterfinal.
In the semifinal, however, his injury problems were obvious, and he lost to the Dutchman Tom Okker. It ended 5–7 in the deciding set, but afterward, Björn didn’t make any excuses. Okker admitted that he likely wouldn’t have had a chance if the Swede had been fully fit.
That was confirmed in the final, where Okker was outplayed by Arthur Ashe, losing 6–2, 6–2. Tom Okker simply wasn’t at Björn Borg’s level.
There was disappointment in the Royal Tennis Hall, but one Swede earned warm applause: Jan-Erik Lundqvist, who played his last elite match and was knocked out by Ove Bengtson in the second round.
1973
Best When It Mattered – Except in the Final
Björn Borg’s schedule was dramatically set up. First, he would face a fellow countryman, Småland’s Birger Andersson, but then Ilie Năstase was likely waiting – and if by some miracle he won that match, he would face Nikola Pilić and, in the semifinal, the rising star Jimmy Connors.
But the plan nearly fell apart immediately. Birger surprised with steady play, won the first set, and pushed Björn to a tiebreak in the second. The deciding set, however, was anticlimactic: 6–0 to Borg.
The match against Năstase was a thriller. Long, exhausting rallies and a third set marred by unsportsmanlike conduct from the Romanian, who felt the crowd disturbed him during his serve. When Björn finally won the set 7–5, the crowd was even louder.
Borg also got through Pilić – another tough three-setter – and in the first of many significant battles between Borg and Connors, Björn emerged victorious. It was a real fight, with the score ending 6–4, 3–6, 7–6. Clearly, the young Swede had that extra something that allowed him to perform at his best in crucial moments.
But the tough matches took a toll. In the final, American Tom Gorman won in a tiebreak in the third set and might still boast about having beaten Björn Borg in a Stockholm final.
1972
The Future Was Named Björn Borg
Björn Borg drew crowds to the Royal Tennis Hall. At barely 15 years old, he had made his Davis Cup debut over the summer and was, of course, a star attraction at the Stockholm Open.
He performed well, too. He outmaneuvered both Finland’s Pekka Saila and Spain’s Andrés Gimeno and was well on his way to the quarterfinal after winning the first set against American Andrew Pattison. But then Pattison’s experience took over, and Borg’s journey ended in the 1972 tournament.
The organizers didn’t mind. A boy who could challenge the world’s elite at 15 was a solid guarantee for the future of the tournament. Björn Borg attracted both spectators and sponsors.
The likable Stan Smith redeemed himself and won the tournament without much trouble. His only real challenge came in the first round from Ove Bengtson. Ove had a great day but made a few too many double faults to win in the long run. Smith’s winning score was 6–7, 7–5, 6–4.
1971
Boys from Södertälje Took Center Stage
Stan Smith, the slugger who had won the Stockholm Open in 1970, returned in triumph a year later.
He had taken the tennis world by storm all season, with major successes in the Grand Slam tournaments and Davis Cup, and was a heavy favorite at the Royal Tennis Hall once again. But this time, he didn’t get past the first round. He lost 7–6, 7–5 to an inspired and outstanding schoolboy from Södertälje, Leif Johansson, and showed great sportsmanship by praising his opponent and not making any excuses.
Leif lost in the second round to a mediocre player from New Zealand and didn’t even get the most attention of the Swedes in the tournament. Most of the spotlight went to veteran Jan-Erik Lundqvist, who made a comeback and filled the stands, as well as another Södertälje boy who took a set from the experienced Yugoslav Franulović. That boy’s name was Björn Borg, and he was only 14 at the time.
1970
Smith Had to Work for the Victory
Nikola Pilić returned to the Stockholm Open to defend his title and sneak off with the winner’s check before his friends dragged him off to an expensive victory party.
But this time, luck wasn’t on his side, and he was knocked out in the first round by a relatively unknown Australian.
The crowd favorite also came from Australia, Ken Rosewall. He played brilliantly throughout the tournament but didn’t make it to the final. In the semifinal, he lost to the powerful server Stan Smith after a match many still remember today. Smith won 8–10, 6–2, 9–7 and was completely exhausted afterward.
But he recovered and won the final against his compatriot Arthur Ashe after another grueling battle.
For Sweden, there wasn’t much to cheer about. Veteran Bosse Holmström was the only home player to make it to the second round, where he put up a good fight but still lost to the global star Roy Emerson.
1969
The Entire Prize Money Disappeared at the Pub
The Stockholm Open didn’t get off to a great start. The first tournament was scheduled to begin on Sunday, November 23, but the organizers had failed to inform several of the registered players, including some of the stars.
Total chaos on the first day, but after some humble apologies and skillful work with new schedules, everything was sorted out in the end.
Sweden didn’t have any stars to speak of in 1969. However, Leif Johansson saved a bit of Swedish honor by taking a set from world number one Rod Laver, who had won all four Grand Slam tournaments that year.
The Romanian Ilie Năstase had something of a breakthrough in the tournament, but the winner was the Yugoslav Nikola Pilić. It was his first major tournament victory, and he was overjoyed. At least until the bar tab arrived. He had treated the remaining competitors from that year’s field to dinner at Stallmästargården on the night of the final and was left with hardly a penny of his 32,000 SEK prize money.
Since neither SVT nor the written media gave any attention to the women’s tournament in 1969, many people may not even remember that it existed. The winner was Billie Jean King, who defeated her compatriot Julie Heldman 9–7, 6–2 in the final. The best Swedish player was Ingrid Löfdahl Bentzer, who lost to the eventual winner in the semifinals.
