Dog bites out Bjorn Borg's reappearance

A severe dog bite forces the legendary tennis player to pull out of the tie, his first grass-court match in 26 years, against 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash.

A severe dog bite forced Bjorn Borg to pull out of his first grass-court match in 26 years.

The five-time Wimbledon champion was bitten on his right leg by a German shepherd called "The Wolf" when he tried to pull the dog away from his golden retriever, Lipton, at his home in Sweden over the weekend.

Borg, who received medical treatment at a Stockholm hospital, was told not to put any weight on the leg for at least six weeks.

He had been scheduled to play 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash at the Liverpool International tournament this week. It would have been his first grass-court match since losing to John McEnroe in the 1981 Wimbledon final.

"I'm so disappointed that I cannot play at Liverpool," Borg said on the tournament's website. "I've been really looking forward to this event and have been practicing hard for four months to get ready."

Borg, who is still expected to attend the event as a spectator, was replaced by former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek in the tournament, which is backed by Liverpool City Council and held in Calderstones Park.