Borg actor: 'I'd never played tennis in my life'

PARIS - Icelandic actor Sverrir Gudnason, who plays opposite Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf in the newly released Borg vs. McEnroe, said on Monday he had never played tennis before landing the role as the 1980s Swedish icon.

The 39-year-old Gudnason was born in Sweden but grew up in Iceland, and bears a striking resemblance to Bjorn Borg, whose cool personality contrasted the hair-trigger temper of his on-court rival, John McEnroe.

"I had never watched a whole tennis match before all this," Gudnason said.