Björn Borg on cancer diagnosis: “It looks bad”

The tennis legend Björn Borg (69) spoke about his fight against cancer in the British talk show “BBC Breakfast”. “I talked to the doctor and he said that it looks very, very bad,” said Borg to the British broadcaster. “He told me that I have these sleeping cancer cells and that it will be a fight in the future. I have to be examined every six months. The last one was two weeks ago. I have to live with that.”

The eleven-time Grand Slam winner makes the diagnosis for the first time in his autobiography “Heartbeats”, which was published on September 19. Borg was operated on last year and is currently in remission. “I take life every day, year after year,” continued Borg. He admitted that the finding was difficult for him from a “psychological point of view”.

In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Borg also spoke about his tennis career. He revealed that the Wimbledon final in 1980 against his rival John Mcenroe was the “most satisfactory game” of his career: “It just had everything”.

The rivalry with Mcenroe got the nickname “fire and ice”. Mcenroe was known for his outbursts of anger on the tennis field, while Borg did not show any emotions on the square. The American returned to the US Open in 1981 and defeated Borg. The latter then announced his withdrawal from tennis.

Borg won 66 individual titles in his career and was in first place in the world rankings for 109 weeks. With his retreat at the age of 25, he surprised the tennis world. “I had no more motivation and had enough. If I had known what would happen in the coming years, I would have continued.”

In his autobiography, Borg also reveals that he had to deal with alcohol and drug problems. After an overdose, he was treated in Milan in 1989. For Borg it was a turning point in his life. “I was close to death many times,” said Borg. “I got my life in order. I am very satisfied with myself.”