LONDON, March 27 (UPI) -- In response to a public outcry, tennis legend Bjorn Borg on Monday canceled his plans to auction off his five Wimbledon championship trophies.
In a statement, the 49-year-old Swede said he was taken aback by the storm of protests after he announced his plans to sell them for "financial security," The Telegraph reported.
"Never did I expect the symbolism of these trophies to be of such amazing magnitude," Borg wrote. "After great consideration and reasoning, I have decided that I will never sell my Wimbledon trophies and racquets and I have withdrawn them from sale."
Borg won Wimbledon in five consecutive tournaments starting in 1976, and was poised to sell the trophies and two Wimbledon-winning racquets, which were expected to fetch up to $500,000 in total, in London on June 21.
After retiring from the game at 26, he invested in a string of disastrous business ventures.
