Peter Keller may have lost the Super-Senior World Individual Championships 70s final on Friday, but he clearly has the heart of a champion.

Keller underwent quintuple bypass heart surgery in January and is taking 20 pills a day to maintain his health, including blood-thinners that can sap one's energy.

It's a miracle that the 31st seed even reached the final of this rigorous tournament in which the players play every day without a respite.

"My hematologist knows what level I play but my cardiologist thinks I play only sociable tennis," smiled Keller, an affable Aussie who as an aspiring teenager used to practice with legends such as Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Margaret Court and John Newcombe back home in Melbourne.

Despite celebrating his 73rd birthday with a 6-2 6-1 victory over the eighth-seeded Luis Flor de la Morena, Keller ran into the top-seeded Jorge Camina Borda, a Spanish backboard who owns a heartless drop shot that he strikes from anywhere on the court.

Camina Borda, 70, who nearly pulled out of the tournament with a pulled calf muscle, rolled to a 6-2 6-3 victory over Keller, who he also beat in last week's World Championship team event won by Spain.

"My head is better than my legs," said Camina Borda, who won his 18th World title, fifth in singles. "My leg felt better. I've been afraid but I tried to control my movement and managed to do it."

Keller, who reached the second round of the Australian Open in 1962 before running into Newcombe, said he once beat Neale Fraser, a three-time Grand Slam champion.

At 20, just as he was about to fly overseas to play pro tennis in America, Keller was knocked unconscious in a car accident which derailed his pro aspirations. He went into the family knitting mill business and said that former Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras wore his Interknit socks because they helped prevent blisters on the boiling hard courts in the Australian Open.

Keller joked that Camina Borda's team-mates said that sometimes, he forgets to limp, but he was thrilled with his first foray to the World finals.

"He was just too good for me today," Keller said.

His heart issue certainly wasn't going to stop him from hoisting a few brews later Friday.

"You have to have your priorities," he said. "As we say, there are no bad beers, only some beers that are better."

As for Camina Borda, he will limp back to Bilbao, Spain with another gold medal and $800.

"I have won two other World championships when I was injured so this was nothing new," said Camina Borda, who played field hockey for Spain in the 1972 Olympics. "As for the doubters, that's normal because there is a lot of jealousy in sports."