Björn Borg, the five-time Wimbledon champion, has revealed he is living 'day by day, year by year' after being diagnosed with an 'extremely aggressive' form of prostate cancer. The Swedish tennis legend, now in remission, disclosed the diagnosis in the final chapter of his autobiography, which is set to be released in the UK this week.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Borg recounted his doctor's blunt assessment: 'He said this is really, really bad.' The 68-year-old former world number one explained that he has 'sleeping cancer cells' and undergoes testing every six months. 'It's a thing I have to live with,' he said.
In his autobiography, Borg also details his struggles with panic attacks and drug use, which began in 1982. He describes the first time he tried cocaine as giving him 'the same kind of rush I used to get from tennis'. The book recounts a hospitalisation in the Netherlands in the 1990s after an overdose involving 'alcohol, drugs, pills'. He calls looking up from a hospital bed to see his father after another overdose 'the worst shame of all'.
Borg also writes about his decision to retire at the age of 25, following back-to-back defeats to rival John McEnroe in the 1981 Wimbledon and US Open finals. 'All I could think was how miserable my life had become,' he confesses in the book.
