It’s an Exhibition, as Borg Starts on Road Back

Thanks to better preparation, better equipment and the fact that he picked on a player of his own generation this time, Phase 2 of Bjorn Borg’s comeback was far more successful than Phase 1.

The five-time Wimbledon champion defeated John Lloyd, 6-4, 6-3, Tuesday night in an exhibition in front of 7,865 at the Forum. It was Borg’s first competitive match since a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Jordi Arrese in the first round of the Volvo Monte Carlo Open April 23. And that had been his first since leaving the pro circuit in 1981.

Borg is cautioning both fans and the media to lower their expectations, but Lloyd came away impressed.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, for his first time out, he was a strong 8 1/2, considering how long he’s been out of action,” said the 37-year old Lloyd, the top-ranked player on the 35-and-over circuit. “He looked pretty good. The main thing is, one can’t expect miracles.

“There were times there where he really connected, and there were a couple of times where he faded in and out. His great strength was his ability to be in every point for the entire match. That’s something that he’s going to have to work on playing matches.”

Lloyd said he was especially impressed by Borg’s speed in the 63-minute match.

“He’s the same way that he was when he stopped,” Lloyd said. “His speed is still incredibly good.”

Said Borg: “I can play much better tennis. In general, I’m pretty pleased.”

Blaming his defeat to Arrese in part on poor preparation, the 35-year-old Borg said he has been training four hours a day in Florida since September.

Borg has also abandoned his wood racket in favor of a mid-size graphite model.

Borg will play in the seniors event at the Hyatt Grand Champions in Indian Wells Friday through Monday, then play three or four other seniors events, plus a few regular ATP tour events in Europe.

He has decided against seeking a wild card berth into the $1.1-million Newsweek Champions Cup, which begins Monday in Indian Wells. Borg also said he will not play any of the three remaining Grand Slam tournaments this year, but would like to play in them next year.

“I have no regrets that I retired,” Borg said. “Even today, I still think I made the right decision. At 26, I didn’t enjoy tennis anymore. I didn’t have fun. When you walk on the tennis court, you need to have fun. You really need to enjoy it. If you don’t have that feeling, it’s very difficult to do well.

“Four or five years ago, I never really imagined that I would come back to tennis again. I did not have fun. Then a couple of years ago, I started to watch tennis more and more, started to play more and more.”

In a later match, Wimbledon champion Michael Stich defeated David Wheaton, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.