Tennis legend Björn Borg says he is taking life “day by day, year by year” after being diagnosed with “extremely aggressive” prostate cancer.
The 69-year-old Swede revealed his health battle in the final chapter of his new autobiography Heartbeats: A Memoir, co-written with his wife Patricia. He explained that doctors had told him the disease was “at its most advanced stage” but vowed he would “fight every day like it’s a Wimbledon final.”
Borg, who underwent surgery in 2024, is currently in remission but admitted that living with the diagnosis has been “difficult psychologically.”
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he recalled the moment he was told of the seriousness of his condition: “I spoke to the doctor and he said this is really, really bad. He said you have these sleeping cancer cells [and] it’s going to be a fight in the future.”
Now required to undergo tests every six months, Borg said he is learning to adapt to his new reality. “I did my last test two weeks ago. It’s a thing I have to live with,” he added.
Regarded as one of the sport’s all-time greats, Borg won 11 Grand Slam singles titles between 1974 and 1981, including a record five consecutive Wimbledon crowns.
His 1980 Wimbledon final against American rival John McEnroe — a near four-hour classic in which McEnroe saved seven championship points — is still hailed as one of the greatest matches in tennis history.
Their contrasting temperaments earned them the nickname “Fire and Ice,” with McEnroe prone to fiery outbursts while Borg remained almost unnervingly calm.
Although McEnroe ended his Wimbledon reign in 1981, the two are now close friends. “We see each other, we go out for dinner, we talk about today’s tennis. We never talk about the old matches,” Borg said.
In his memoir, the famously private star also reflects on the struggles he faced after retiring from tennis at just 25. He admits turning to alcohol and drugs, and suffering an overdose in Milan in 1989, before slowly rebuilding his life.
“I was close to dying many times,” he writes. “I fixed my life. I’m very happy with myself.”
Today, with his health once again under threat, Borg is determined to channel the same resilience that defined his career — one test, one day, and one year at a time.
