Björn Borg takes life ‘day by day’ after ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer diagnosis

Tennis legend told diagnosis was ‘really, really bad’

Thu, 18 Sep, 2025 - 09:52

Björn Borg, the five-time Wimbledon tennis champion, has said he is taking life “day by day, year by year” after his “extremely aggressive” prostate cancer diagnosis.

The former world no1, who won 11 grand slam titles before retiring aged 25, revealed the diagnosis in the final chapter of his autobiography, Heartbeats: A Memoir, which will be published this week in the UK and next week in the US.

The Swede is in remission, having had an operation in 2024, but described the diagnosis as “difficult psychologically”.

“I spoke to the doctor and he said this is really, really bad,” Borg told BBC Breakfast. “He said you have these sleeping cancer cells [and] it’s going to be a fight in the future. Every six months I go and test myself. I did my last test two weeks ago. It’s a thing I have to live with.”

In his autobiography, Borg writes about panic attacks and his drug use, which he says started in 1982. “The first time I tried cocaine,” he says in the book, “I got the same kind of rush I used to get from tennis.”

Borg describes being rushed to a Dutch hospital in the 1990s after overdosing on “alcohol, drugs, pills — my preferred ways of self-medication”. He also writes about “the worst shame of all”, which he says came when he looked up from a hospital bed to see his father after another overdose.

In his book Borg describes his decision to retire at the age of 25 after losing the 1981 Wimbledon and US Open finals to his rival John McEnroe. “All I could think was how miserable my life had become,” he writes.

"I had enough. I lost the interest and the motivation," he said.

"If I knew what was going to happen in the years after, I would continue to play tennis."

In contrast, his Wimbledon final win over McEnroe in 1980 was Borg's 'most satisfying'.

"That final was the most satisfying match I ever played. It had everything," Borg said.

"We respected each other a lot, all three of us," Borg added, of his rivalries with McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.

"We were fighting to be the best in the world. To do that, you cannot be best friends.

"We are very good friends, me and John. We see each other, we go out for dinner, we talk about today's tennis.

"We never talk about the old matches."

Guardian