Swedish tennis great Bjorn Borg is auctioning off his five Wimbledon trophies and two of his title-winning wood rackets in order to achieve "financial security."
Borg, the only player to win five consecutive Wimbledon championships, will put the memorabilia on the bloc at Bonhams auction house in London on June 21.
The five silver gilt trophies, which will be sold together, may fetch between ?200,000-?300,000 (US$350,000-US$525,000), Bonhams said on Friday.
"Obviously it is not easy to part with the trophies that symbolize all the tremendous effort, both physically and emotionally that it took to win Wimbledon on five occasions," Borg said.
"However, I do need to have some long-term financial security for those close to me and now believe the time is right for the trophies and rackets to pass to either a tennis collector or a suitable institution where they can be appreciated by a wider number of people."
Borg won his five titles between 1976 and 1980. He is also auctioning off the now-obsolete Donnay rackets he used to beat Ilie Nastase in the 1976 final and John McEnroe in the 1980 final. The five-set win over McEnroe featured a classic 18-16 fourth-set tiebreaker.
The rackets are likely to sell for ?10,000-?15,000 (US$17,500-US$26,2000) each, Bonhams said.
"Even though the symbols of my victories are being sold, what I will always retain is the knowledge that for such a long period I was the supreme world tennis champion," Borg said.
Borg also won six French Open titles before retiring.
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