Tennis legend Bjorn Borg has revealed he's battling "extremely aggressive" prostate cancer during a candid interview, with the tennis legend admitting that he undergoes regular tests to monitor his health.
The 69-year-old Swedish champion underwent life-saving surgery last year and now lives with the reality of "sleeping cancer cells" in his body.
"I spoke to the doctor and he said this is really, really bad," Borg told the BBC, describing the psychological difficulty of his 2023 diagnosis.
The five-time Wimbledon winner's autobiography, released this week in the UK, saves this bombshell for its final chapter.
Tennis legend Bjorn Borg has revealed he's battling "extremely aggressive" prostate cancer during a candid BBC interview
|BBC
It's a stark revelation from someone who's famously kept his personal life private since retiring from tennis at just 25.
The former world No1 now faces check-ups every six months to monitor whether the cancer returns.
The former World No1 admitted he was told the cancer was 'really bad'
|PA
"You have these sleeping cancer cells in your body, it's going to be a fight in the future," his doctor warned him. Borg had his most recent test just two weeks ago and remains in remission following his 2024 operation.
"I take day by day, year by year hopefully. It's a thing I have to live with."
The tennis icon stressed the importance of early detection, urging men to get tested regularly.
"So many people die every year of prostate cancer. Try to test yourself if you can," he said.
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Bjorn Borg urged men to get tested regularly, admitting he now returns to the doctors at leats every six months
|BBC
Despite the uncertainty, Borg's focusing on spending time with his family and recently completed his final year captaining Team Europe at the Laver Cup.
The memoir opens with another shocking admission - his 1990s hospitalisation after overdosing on "alcohol, drugs, pills my preferred ways of self-medication."
The 11-time Grand Slam champion's drug problems began in 1982, just a year after his retirement.
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"The first time I tried cocaine, I got the same kind of rush I used to get from tennis," he writes in the book.
His addiction spiralled into multiple hospitalisations, including one incident in the Netherlands where he overdosed on a cocktail of substances.
"The worst shame of all" came when he woke up in a hospital bed to find his father looking down at him. Another overdose in Italy in 1989 was accidental, not a suicide attempt as some had speculated.
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Bjorn Borg admitted to using cocaine after his retirement from tennis
|GETTY
"Stupid decision to be involved with this kind of thing. It really destroys you," Borg told the Associated Press about his drug use, admitting he had no plan or guidance after leaving tennis.
His decision to walk away from tennis came after losing both the 1981 Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals to John McEnroe.
Bjorn Borg retired suddenly at the age of 25 after 11 Grand Slam victories
|GETTY
"All I could think was how miserable my life had become," he writes in his book.
After that U.S. Open defeat, the 25-year-old grabbed beers and sat in a pool at a Long Island house where friends had planned a victory party.
"I was not upset or sad when I lost the final. And that's not me as a person. I hate to lose," he told the AP. "My head was spinning and I knew I'm going to step away from tennis."
Without any plan for his future, Borg never played another Grand Slam tournament, leaving behind the sport that had defined him since childhood.
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