LONDON (Reuters):

Swedish great Bjorn Borg will end a long absence from the veterans' tour when he takes on former French Open winner Andres Gomez in the Vale do Lobo Grand Champions event in Portugal today.

Borg, winner of 11 Grand Slams, has not featured on the Tour of Champions for six years but said he was looking forward to returning to competitive action.

"I've been playing a lot of tennis lately to get ready for this and physically I feel great," the 51-year-old said.

"I'm looking forward to taking on the guys and particularly it would be nice to get the chance to face John McEnroe again," he told the tour website (www.blackrocktourofchampions.com).

Borg, who won five Wimbledon and six French Open titles, had been scheduled to play his first grasscourt singles match in England for 26 years at the Liverpool International tournament in June but was forced to withdraw after being bitten by a dog.

He was wounded on his right leg after intervening in a dog-fight and was advised by doctors not to put any weight on the leg for six weeks.

In the Vale do Lobo event, Borg has been drawn to face Austrian former world number one Thomas Muster and Brazilian Fernando Meligeni in addition to today's opponent Gomez.