Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg has confirmed he is in remission following an aggressive cancer diagnosis at the end of 2023, but is required to undergo routine check-ups.
The former world No.1 revealed he has been diagnosed with the disease in the final chapter of his new memoir, Heartbeats. Borg was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he described as ‘really aggressive,’ and was required to undergo immediate surgery.
“The doctor said it was a really, really aggressive cancer,” he said.
“Everything was bad.”
In his book, Borg describes the following six months as ‘very difficult psychologically, mentally.’ Whilst he is now in remission, there is a chance the disease could return.
“The doctor says that I still have the cancer cells in my body but right now they’re sleeping. They could be sleeping for years.” He commented.
The 69-year-old confirmed he has to undergo tests every six months to monitor his health. In a recent interview with BBC Breakfast, he said he is taking life “day by day, year by year.”
Borg was one of the most dominant forces in men’s tennis throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. He held the ATP No.1 ranking for 109 weeks and won 11 Grand Slam titles – six at the French Open and five at Wimbledon. Borg’s success is even more impressive considering he first retired from the sport at the age of 25. Although he attempted to stage comebacks in 1991, 1992, and 1993, but they were all unsuccessful.
In his book, Borg speaks frankly about his drug addiction, which started shortly after he retired for the first time, and how he nearly died twice due to drug overdoses. He describes that period of his life as ‘a dangerous mix of drugs, pills and alcohol” after trying cocaine for the first time in 1982.
“When I stopped playing tennis, I didn’t have a schedule. I’d wake up in the morning and say to myself: I can do everything, anything. I’m so happy,” he says.
“But I left tennis. I left my tennis friends. That was a big mistake. I left the people in tennis that I was around and I liked all these people.
“The problem was that I didn’t realise this — I had no plan. It finally came to a point: OK, what am I supposed to do now? I had no idea. I was lost. I was lost in this world. I had no plan and that’s a difficult life.
“Then I started with the drugs or pills or alcohol; all these things. I think that was an escape from life — the reality just to escape. I didn’t have to think about it. I knew that I was not happy. I needed to do something but I had no idea what to do.
“It’s better to take all these things [drugs] because then you escape, you don’t think about it too much. And then they got worse and worse and worse. So stupid.”
Borg’s battle with drugs inspired his attempted comeback during the early 1990s, which he describes as one of the most misunderstood chapters of his life. He lost all 12 singles matches he played on the Tour during this period.
“The media would then say the comeback was a failure. But I had told myself, ‘You’re not here to win a tournament.’ I came back to live, nothing else, and the only people who knew about this in the whole world was me, my mother and father. No one else.” He said.
Borg’s memoir was ghostwritten by his third wife, Patricia Östfeld. Together, they have a son called Leo, who is also a professional player, currently ranked 646th in the world. Leo has been as high as 344th in the standings.
