Björn Borg’s Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Five-time Wimbledon tennis champion, Björn Borg reveals in his new autobiography, Heartbeats: A Memoir, that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. The book will be released on 23 September 2025.

His doctors initially told him the situation was “really, really bad”. Currently, Borg is in remission after a surgery in 2024, according to an interview with AP. Still, he’s described his cancer diagnosis as “difficult psychologically”.

Ahead of his book release next week, Borg did an interview with the BBC – where he shared about his journey so far. To manage life after prostate cancer, Borg said, “Every six months I go and test myself. I did my last test two weeks ago. It’s a thing I have to live with.”

Björn Borg is a former Swedish professional tennis player. He is well-known for being ranked the world’s No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1979 and 1980. He was also ATP Player of the Year from 1976 to 1980.

When Borg first started, he became a teenage sensation, and is touted to have propelled the rising popularity of tennis in the 1970s.

In his BBC interview, Borg also encouraged more people to go for prostate cancer testing. He said, “So many people die every year, prostate cancer. Test yourself if you can.”

In his book, he reassures his readers that he will "fight every day like it's a Wimbledon final".

In Sweden, around 10,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, and around 2,500 men die from the disease.

According to Johan Lindberg, senior researcher at Karolinska Institute, “around 2,500 men are diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer each year”.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in Sweden, with high mortality rates.

The primary risk factor for prostate cancer is age, making it difficult to prevent. However, there is some evidence that family history may put one at greater risk of prostate cancer.

Therefore, the easiest way to reduce the risk of dying from prostate cancer is to detect it early enough to treat it. Screening for prostate cancer with regular PSA tests is critical for early detection.

According to the American Cancer Society, men aged 50 and above should start to consider the PSA test.

Learn more: Should You Take the PSA Test?