Tennis legend Bjorn Borg reveals his secret prostate cancer battle in his forthcoming autobiography, according to reports in Sweden and Italy. Heartbeat, set for release on September 18, chronicles the Swede’s private struggle with the illness he has concealed from public view. The memoir, co-authored with his wife Patricia, will launch across the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Latin America, the Netherlands and Italy alongside Sweden.
The book’s publication has been cloaked in mystery, with Swedish outlet Expressen reporting it won’t be distributed to media for advance reviews. Borg, meanwhile, is said to be planning ‘extremely sparing’ promotional interviews. However, the premature availability of the book on Amazon in Italy and other platforms has exposed news of Borg’s cancer diagnosis.
It is not yet clear if Borg has recovered from his battle with the deadly disease. In the UK, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men and is the second most common cause of cancer death, after lung cancer.
Borg, who is yet to comment on the news of his diagnosis, is expected to take part in a small press tour to promote the release of his upcoming autobiography.
He ruled tennis throughout the 1970s, claiming five Wimbledon championships and six French Open victories to cement his status as one of the sport’s most beloved figures.
That is despite his career only lasting 10 years due to his decision to hang up his racket at the tender age of 26. He became the youngest ever Grand Slam winner when he prevailed at the French Open in 1974, when he was just 18.
Regarded as one of the most elegant players ever to grace the courts, the Swede is recognised for bringing countless new supporters to tennis during the colour television era.
Speaking in March, Gunilla Bergmark from publishers Norstedts commented: “It feels like a big and important task to finally be able to publish Bjorn’s story.
“This is a book that many have been waiting for a long time and I can’t think of a better person to write his story than Patricia.”
Borg’s early retirement left tennis fans baffled and he previously revealed that he gave up the sport due to a lack of motivation to carry on.
Speaking to The Athletic last year, he said: “I was very happy as a player but the motivation was not there. If you don’t have the motivation to practice and compete every day, you can’t focus on what you do and what you need to do.
“I was happy, but I had no motivation and no focus. When I came back briefly, that was a different story. I’m writing a book. I’m going to tell everyone all about it next year.”
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