In the final chapter of his autobiography, *Heartbeats: A Memoir*, Björn Borg, the 69-year-old tennis legend with 11 Grand Slam singles titles—six at Roland Garros and five consecutive at Wimbledon—revealed he is fighting prostate cancer at its most advanced stage. Vowing to tackle the disease with the same tenacity he showed on the court, Borg declared he would “fight every day like it’s a Wimbledon final.”
Describing the cancer as “extremely aggressive,” Borg admitted the diagnosis has been psychologically challenging. “The doctor said this is really, really bad. You have these sleeping cancer cells, and it’s going to be a fight,” he shared, noting he undergoes testing every six months, with his most recent test two weeks ago. “It’s a thing I have to live with,” he added.
Borg, who stunned the tennis world by retiring at 25, secured six French Open titles from 1974 to 1981 and five straight Wimbledon crowns from 1976 to 1980. Of his five Grand Slam final losses, four were at the US Open, and one was in the iconic 1981 Wimbledon final against John McEnroe, where he aimed for a sixth consecutive title. Losses to McEnroe in that Wimbledon final and the subsequent US Open final led to his early retirement. “I had enough. I lost the interest and the motivation,” Borg explained.
Post-retirement, Borg struggled without a plan, facing challenges with drugs, alcohol, and pills to escape reality. “If I knew what was going to happen, I would have continued to play tennis,” he reflected. “I was lost in the world.” A near-fatal overdose in Milan in 1989 spurred a brief return to tennis from 1991 to 1993, but he failed to win any matches before retiring permanently. Despite these struggles, Borg rebuilt his life, stating, “I was close to dying many times. I fixed my life. I’m very happy with myself.”
Borg cherishes his rivalry and later friendship with McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. “We respected each other a lot, all three of us. We were fighting to be the best,” he recalled. Now, he and McEnroe are close friends, often dining together and discussing modern tennis, avoiding talk of their past matches.
