ESPN Wimbledon 2008

WIMBLEDON, England -- The hair, still stylishly mod, has gone silver. But those cobalt-blue eyes are still intense and penetrating.

Amid the trees and shrubs of a well-manicured backyard in Wimbledon Village, Bjorn Borg held court Saturday morning. A fountain bubbled nearby as Borg, wearing an impeccable blue suit and striped tie, fielded questions from an intimate gathering of mostly British reporters.

With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal bearing down on his achievements, is he worried about losing his records?

"I cannot sleep," Borg said, laughing at his own joke. "No. If Roger should win a sixth Wimbledon, I'll be very happy for him. If Rafa wins Roland Garros and Wimbledon like I did in 1980, it's OK.

"Records are meant to be broken."

As this year's tournament winds down, Borg is the man in the middle at Wimbledon. Sunday's finalists are invading his personal space in the record books. It's difficult to write a story about Federer or Nadal these days without mentioning the great Swede.

Borg had just turned 18 when he won his first Grand Slam, at Roland Garros in 1974. He went on to win 11 majors in a span of eight years, including five straight at Wimbledon (1976 to '80) and four in a row in Paris (1978 to '81).

Federer is bidding to break Borg's modern mark and become only the second player to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles. After William Renshaw's first Wimbledon title in 1881, however, he had to win only one match to defend his title.

Nadal, who has won four consecutive titles at Roland Garros, has reached the final here the past two years. A victory on Sunday would make him the first man to achieve the rare double in 28 years, since … why, Borg in 1980.

Like everyone else, Borg marvels at Nadal's learning curve on grass.

"I was at Roland Garros and I saw the final," Borg said. "The way Roger was playing up to the final, I thought maybe he has a chance to win. But Rafa played extremely well. I went back to Sweden and watched Queen's [a Wimbledon tune-up] on television.

"I was so surprised he was playing good grass-court tennis. It was like he was practicing on grass for one month."

At the same time, Borg was impressed with Federer's ability to put the French Open behind him.

"He forgot Paris the next day," Borg said. "He played a bad match in Paris, but this is a different surface. To watch him on grass is to watch an artist. This is his home field. Clearly, he's the favorite."

Which raises an interesting point. Borg has been a fan of Federer's. Maybe it's the Swede-Swiss stoic thing, perhaps he sees a true peer, a kindred spirit. Or maybe it's because they are both represented by International Management Group.

But after a steady flow of predictions backing Federer in these big matches, Borg reversed himself before Wimbledon. He chose the 22-year-old Spaniard to win.

"I picked Nadal, just to do something different," Borg explained. "Nadal has improved."

And then the great champion reversed himself again.

"If Roger is playing as well as he's played so far, he'll be tough to beat," he said. "Eventually, someone will beat him here, but I think it might take awhile. He's playing perfect tennis in the shots he makes and the way he moves the tennis ball around."

That is not to say that Nadal might not win.

"One day he'll be a Wimbledon champion," Borg said, "if not this year, another year. For me personally, to see those two guys play, that's the best for me. They push each other to perform good tennis. It doesn't matter who wins."

Borg was asked about Federer's mind-set, and his dip in confidence after a bout with mononucleosis early in the season. Borg doesn't see him as particularly vulnerable.

"I said before that at the end of the year Federer will be the No. 1 player," Borg said. "He's still hungry to win. He wants to win Grand Slam tournaments. I believe Roger will win many more Wimbledons."

Borg won his final major at Roland Garros in 1981 and his last appearance in a Grand Slam was the final that year at the U.S. Open, where he lost to John McEnroe. He was 25 at the time. Borg played a single tournament in 1982, losing in the quarterfinals at Monte Carlo to Yannick Noah, and announced his retirement in January 1983.

Federer, who turns 27 next month, has already passed Borg's Grand Slam total; he's won 12 and is only two behind Pete Sampras' record of 14.

"I think he wants to break everything in the record [book]," Borg said. "I believe he's going to play at least five more years. I believe he's going to win many more Grand Slam tournaments, many more Wimbledons."

How many, exactly?

Borg paused and took a sip of water. He did the math, counting out loud.

"If he stays healthy, and stays motivated," Borg said, "he can win somewhere between 15 and 20."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.