According to Expressen, the former tennis player spoke about his health in his upcoming book “Hjartslag,” written with his third wife Patricia.

A formidable opponent, the worst he ever faced. Bjorn Borg, the Swedish tennis legend, is said to have cancer, apparently prostate cancer. This is what the media in his country are reporting after learning the traumatic news from the champion’s autobiography, which is due to be released on September 18. According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Borg, now 69, spoke about his illness in his book ‘Hjartslag’ (‘Heartbeat’), written together with his third wife Patricia, whom he married in 2002. The intention was to maintain the necessary discretion on the matter, but some copies sold in advance on Amazon led to the dramatic discovery. The launch of the book, which will also be sold in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Latin America, the Netherlands, and Italy, as well as Sweden, is shrouded in secrecy, and Borg and his family have declined to comment on the news, despite the inevitable uproar it has caused. The champion himself will speak about it in a few days at the presentation of what is considered one of the most eagerly awaited autobiographies ever: hopefully, he will deny or clarify whether it is an ongoing illness or one that is behind him.

Atypical—  Borg, nicknamed ‘the bear’ or ‘the ice man’ for his imperturbability in crucial moments, marked the 1980s in tennis, occupying the stage mainly thanks to his iconic rivalry with John McEnroe. The Swede immediately became an atypical character, both for his innovative style of spins and the then rare two-handed backhand, and for his carefree life off the court, which did not prevent him from achieving enormous success. A professional at the age of 17, Bjorn won 11 Grand Slam titles between 1974 and 1981, including five consecutive Wimbledon titles (from 1976 to 1980) and six Roland Garros titles, occupying the top spot in the ATP rankings for 109 weeks and bringing a lot of notoriety to tennis thanks to his charisma. His retirement at the age of just 26 surprised everyone (“When I realized that tennis no longer gave me pleasure, I understood that I no longer had the desire to continue,” he said): now we can only hope that, after this leak, he will surprise us again. For the better.