Bjorn Swanson just wants to be the best

At a dinner table in North Oaks, Minn., a unique question fell upon Jennifer Swenson’s ears. Her teenage son, Bjorn, just needed to know if he had been better than his siblings at tennis when they were younger.

“Hey Mom, who had the better drop shot when (we) were 8? … (Who had) the strongest forehand at age 9?” Jennifer recalled Bjorn asking.

Refusing to pick favorites, Jennifer avoided the question, stating that each of her children had their own strengths. But for Bjorn, even the possibility of being the best motivated him. 

That possibility is what kept him going when he was competing against his siblings — and it’s what keeps him going even now.

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From a young age, Bjorn was exposed to the thrill of competition. His father played collegiate tennis, his mother was a runner and his siblings played sports. So naturally, when Bjorn himself was introduced to sports, he fell in love. Competing in everything from tennis to football to tae kwon do, there was always a common denominator for Bjorn: the possibility to be the best.

He turned anything he could into an opportunity to win. Whether it was at one of the many sports he played or being able to stomach the spiciest food at home, he had to win.

“I remember one time there was a community fair, and all the high school or middle school kids (were) playing pick-up football,” Jennifer told The Michigan Daily. “He was maybe 7 and he felt super comfortable just jumping in with all the big kids to be a part of the game. So he really wanted to be a part of any action, any competition, even if some of those older kids were bigger and stronger and faster. So he was very confident for his age when it came to a competitive setting.”

Despite falling in love with multiple sports, tennis stuck out to Bjorn. Just like his father, Bjorn found a deep love for the sport, and played constantly.

“I started playing when I was pretty young,” Bjorn told the Daily. “My dad played in college. So I think naturally when I was growing up, I was playing a lot of sports, and I tried tennis out, and I instantly fell in love with it.”

Whether it was in lessons with his coach Brian McCoy, or on the driveway at home, Bjorn was always trying to get better. And even though he was just getting settled as a tennis player, his innate competitiveness immediately shone through. Tennis was a family sport, and there was nothing more motivating for Bjorn than competing against his siblings. For the Swenson children, everything was a chance to see who was the best. And as they fought, Bjorn was improving on the court — quickly.

At just 10 years old, Bjorn ramped up his level of competition, playing tournaments across the United States against the top youth players in the country. But it wasn’t just work ethic that gave Bjorn an extra edge on his opponents — it was his journaling, too.

Bjorn looked to make himself better any way he could, finding inspiration in a fellow student at a tennis training center who kept a journal. McCoy recalls that unlike most kids, Bjorn called about journaling, and the tennis center sent numerous notebooks and a booklet so he could try it out for himself.

From that point on, this journal was the basis for all of Bjorn’s off-court match preparation. By logging his opponents’ tendencies and playstyles, Bjorn had an edge over his opponents. 

One specific match sticks out as indicative of just how important the journal was to Bjorn’s game. After losing 6-0, 6-0 to a highly-ranked foe, his journal was key in his recap of the match. So when Bjorn matched up with the same opponent months later, he was more than prepared. With his notes thoroughly reviewed and a chip on his shoulder, Bjorn wasn’t going to lose again — and he didn’t. In convincing fashion, Bjorn won the second match.

“There’s lots of things that are unique to Bjorn,” McCoy told the Daily. “(He’s a) super mature kid. As a 10-year-old, he already had some pretty defined goals. And he hadn’t really started competing yet, he was just beginning to play 12-and-under tennis and learn what that’s all about. … He’s really been unique that way. He’s always had, from the start, pretty long-range goals and always been very disciplined and sets his own schedule.”

Because of his strict adherence to his journal, Bjorn flourished. By his freshman year of high school, he was already a star. Despite being so young, Bjorn was the No. 1 ranked teenager in Minnesota and won a state championship as a freshman. Two years later, he won the state championship again. And as he climbed the rankings, the journal was always there, full of crucial notes about how he could be better than his opponent.

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Though just a teenager, Bjorn was riding a wave of success. He’d already won two state championships and was a coveted five-star prospect all before his senior season. Bjorn’s successes weren’t just limited to the court, though, as he graduated high school a semester early. Bjorn went off on his own, playing in professional tournaments across the United States. Driven by his competitive spirit and his maturity, he was ready.

“I let him, as an 18-year-old, just go to Florida, on his own in California (to) play all these futures and all these … lower level pro tournaments,” Jennifer told the Daily. “I don’t know if they’re lower level, but (he’d) just be on his own at age 18. And I think because of that maturity (that) a lot of kids maybe don’t have that at that age, I was willing to let him do that.”

Traveling from coast to coast, Bjorn soaked up the experience as much as he could. Staying in random hotels or at friend’s houses, he experienced everything that professional tennis had to offer. And just like it had in high school, his maturity paid off. He played and beat some of the best international tennis players his age, claiming numerous titles in regional events.

So when he arrived in Ann Arbor as a freshman, Bjorn had all the accolades a team could hope for. He was a five-star prospect ranked No. 10 in his graduating class with two singles state championships and professional experience. But instead of contributing immediately for the Wolverines, Bjorn had to wait his turn.

Behind long-time Michigan stars like Andrew Fenty and Ondrej Styler, there was simply no room for Bjorn to play right away. But he wasn’t discouraged. In fact, he worked harder. And by the time his sophomore season came around, he found his footing as the Wolverines’ No. 3 singles player and made a deep Big Ten Doubles Tournament run with then-freshman Alex Cairo all the way to the championship match.

Now a junior in college, Bjorn is the same as he was at the family dinner table as a child: a natural competitor with an innate desire to win. On the court, he’s battling against his opponents to achieve victory. And off the court, he’s intently focused on studying his opponents to learn as much as he can.

Because whether he’s at the dinner table or on the court, Bjorn needs to do the same thing he always has.

He needs to win.

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