Court four at the SDAT Stadium saw early occupancy on Saturday morning. The first slot was to start at 10 AM, but a wiry, roughly six-foot tall player, decked up in white tennis gear could be seen kneeling on the court 30 minutes before time, occupied with the rigours of pre-game warm-up.
After taking a quarter of an hour to get his legs in shape, he moved to his upper body for another quarter.
Having completed the entire routine meticulously, he booted up and was set to connect a few hits until his coach had second thoughts. A short deliberation followed and the pair made the walk to the centre court. Trailing them was Rishi Reddy, World No. 1038 and a name in the alternates for the Challenger tournament. He was asked for help on the centre court as hitting partner.
Leo Borg practising before the Chennai Open Challenger. | Photo Credit: Abhishek Saini / Sportstar
The relocation to the main arena was bearing in mind the big news from the previous night. Along with Indians Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan, a 19-year-old Leo Borg had been awarded a wildcard entry to the main draw.
Along with coach Christian Brydniak, Borg shifted to the centre court for Saturday’s practice to get a feel of the main venue. “The court was free. Maybe I’ll have a match here so I want to get used to the bigger court and area,” Leo said.
Though playing at feature courts is still a sporadic occurrence in the Swede’s career, being the centre of attention is something Leo has gotten used to now.
Son of an 11-time Grand Slam champion - Bjorn Borg - Leo has championed the art of not letting the eyeballs distract him. “Of course, I have pressure since I have a big name. I’m trying to focus on my journey and not think about my name too much. I just think of my game,” Leo said.
His game, at least in minutiae if not skill, is as methodic as his pre-game routine. Leo started the session with forehand punches, trying to maximise the force behind his shots. He then moved up to the net to brush up his deft close-range arsenal. Then came the overhead volleys which were followed by backhand returns. Crossing every T and Dotting every I seemed to be the mantra for the day.
For a major part of his drills, Leo had stationed himself well beyond the baseline. The trait seems to have been passed on by Bjorn. The former World No. 1 used to float at the baseline and effortlessly torment his opponents with passing shots.
But Leo has taken it a notch higher. This has been purposely imbibed by the 19-year-old. “I see myself as an aggressive baseliner. I want to take the first step and take the ball to hit. But I’m now starting to work on my defence also,” he added.
Leo with his coach, Christian Brydniak, during practice ahead of the Chennai Open Challenger. | Photo Credit: Abhishek Saini / Sportstar
With the lean physique, white attire and court positioning in tune with his father’s, one might call Leo a spitting image of Bjorn, minus only the headband maybe. There is one major difference, however.
Bjorn, ‘Ice’ Borg as he was called by many, was known for his stoic, calm demeanour on the court. Leo, however, does not shy from letting out a rant once in a while.
“It is hard to be as cold as him,” Leo said with a cheeky smile. “(But) I have always been inspired by his mental side. He is cool in the most important matches and points,” Leo added.
Leo had turned heads last year at ATP 250 in his hometown Stockholm where he picked a set against Tommy Paul. His success since has been limited to ITF and Challenger Tour contests, but Leo is happy to bide his time in the lower levels for now.
“This year I want to take some big steps in the Challengers. Then maybe next year at the Tour level. You never know, it can come next week, it can come in two years but you have to take it step by step.”
At 13, Leo had seen himself breaking the ATP top 10 in the next 10 years. He’s still got four left. While his target is a far cry from his current spot at 515th in the world, Leo has the luxury of time. “Of course, I want to be at the top but it is so hard to get there. It is a long journey,” Leo said.
The Chennai Open main-draw entry has offered the first step to the long journey. And with Leo following the touring caravan to Bengaluru and Pune, he could indeed find his big steps at the Challenger level to make a jump to the ATP Tour.
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