It is doubtful whether Sweden’s Leo Borg has managed to get to the end of a single interview without the subject of his father being raised in some form – spoiler alert, this one was no different.

But when you are following in the footsteps of 11-time Grand Slam singles champion Bjorn Borg – arguably one of the finest players to ever pick up a racket – there is going to be scrutiny and there certainly has been.

When Borg Jr. was handed a wild card entry to qualifying for the 2019 Junior Championships at Wimbledon – his dad’s old stomping ground having won five Grand Slam titles there – he became the centre of a media storm.  

Understandably, especially given he was just 15 years old at the time, Borg was guarded and wary of saying too much. In the end, he quite reasonably spoke about blocking out comparisons and just focusing on himself.

Two years on and things are a little different. The questions and history lessons remain but Borg appears more at ease with the subject, largely because his tennis is starting to do some of the talking.

Last month, the teenager claimed the biggest junior title of his career at Porto Alegre in Brazil, while there promises to be some exciting times in the coming weeks with a potential ATP debut in the offing.

“I am getting there and people are judging me more on my tennis and not simply focusing on me being Bjorn Borg’s son,” Borg told itftennis.com.

“I’m trying to get to the top and my game has come a long way. Before, they were possibly just comparing me to my dad. I didn’t care about it because that’s normal to do, but now I think people are recognising me more and not necessarily seeing my dad.

“I know it’s going to follow me all my life, at least when I play tennis, so it’s no big deal for me and it’s something I have to deal with. I have never thought about it too much or look at it like it’s a hard thing. It’s something I just take care of.”

Borg’s latest steps towards the game’s summit will be taken next month after he received a wild card into qualifying at the Andalucia Open, with the main draw scheduled for 5-11 April in Marbella.

Still searching for his maiden professional match-win, Borg has also been awarded a main draw wild card into the Challenger Tour event at the same venue the week before. Opportunity knocks.

“I am very humbled to get wild cards for what are very big tournaments for me,” said Borg. “I have been on the Challenger Tour before but it’s big for me. I am preparing well and I am very much looking forward to it.

“My highest level is very good. I had some problems before to reach it at tournaments but now I feel good and there is nothing bad in my tennis or my fitness now.

“I am feeling prepared and I know I can play well and can compete against these big guys and I am looking forward to doing so. It is more of an opportunity than anything else. I don’t feel any pressure, I am just keen to see where my level is right now.”

With every passing milestone, the doubts and concerns which his parents, Bjorn and Patricia, felt when they were advised of their son’s desire to pursue a career in tennis may be lessening somewhat.

Patricia has previously admitted to crying at the prospect of Leo constantly being compared to his father and being placed under unbearable scrutiny, while Bjorn himself used the phrase “burden” when describing the Borg surname.

Until that point, Borg, a Real Madrid and Hammarby supporter, was a talented footballer although tennis proved an irresistible force and he decided to make the sport his primary focus with his teenage years approaching.

“I was playing soccer until I was about 11 or 12 and I liked it very much but then I decided to play tennis as it felt right to me and I felt I had a big future because I was getting better and better,” he added.

“I just felt that I wanted tennis more and more and, with my dad having played tennis, I knew I could get help from him so I decided to go with it.”

Bjorn and Patricia’s tears and worries have turned to smiles on many occasions since, most recently when both were on site to witnesses their son’s success at Porto Alegre.

Borg navigated qualifying and proceeded to make his way to the final, where he defeated American Bruno Kuzuhara and surged towards the top of the boys’ rankings. He currently sits at No. 12 with a desire and intention to go far higher.

“Porto Alegre was the biggest tournament I won all my life so it meant a lot and I know that my dad was really happy to see me play,” said Borg. “He thinks I can play really good tennis, which is nice to hear.

“I hadn’t won so many tournaments or matches for a few months so I was really fighting for it and I realised how good I am and how good I can play. I feel very grateful.

“In the past I had some problems with my serve and my fitness but I have done a lot of work on that and it has really helped me. I wasn’t fast enough or strong enough but I have fixed it.

“I feel I am reaching top form and playing really good tennis. I would like to take that on now and that’s what I am concentrating on. Junior Grand Slams are important this year but I feel like I am going a level up and can compete with pros.”

While praise from his father, as he received following his Porto Alegre triumph, is clearly welcomed, that still has not prompted Borg to watch any historic footage of his father. “I have not watched a single match or a single point,” he said matter-of-factly.

That said, he does concede the best advice he has ever received, that until the final point of the match anything can happen and you remain in charge of your destiny, emanated from Bjorn.

But whatever the background noise or speculation, the Borg surname will be displayed at each and every tournament Leo competes at for the remainder of his career.

That is the certainty, the variable is what he makes of it. The signs are promising but the next level awaits. All eyes on Andalucia.