Tennis News

Borg reveals cancer battle: 'I take day by day, year by year'

Bjorn Borg, the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, reveals in his upcoming book, Heartbeats: A Memoir, that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The Swedish has reflected on the diagnosis ahead of the book’s release next week, telling the BBC that he has “always been checking” himself.

“[In] 2023, checked myself again, and the doctor said, ’It doesn’t look too good. We have to make an operation’,” Borg told the BBC. “‘Okay. Is that necessary?’ I told them. ‘Yes’. It was difficult psychologically, for me. [Did] it spread all over? I don’t know.”

The doctor told Borg that the situation was “really, really bad”. Last year, he underwent an operation and is in remission.

“[The doctor] said, ‘But you have these sleeping cancer cells in your body’. It’s going to be a fight in the future, and I hope I’m going to be okay,” Borg said. “I might be okay, I might not be okay. So every six months, I go and test myself. And right now, I did my last test two weeks ago, so I’m okay. I take day by day, year by year, hopefully. It’s a thing you have to live with.”

Borg has returned to the tennis spotlight in recent years, serving as Team Europe’s Laver Cup captain from 2017-2024. This year he attended Wimbledon, where he won five consecutive titles from 1976-1980.

In his BBC interview, Borg left the audience with a message regarding his diagnosis.

“So many people die every year, prostate cancer,” Borg said. “Test yourself if you can.”

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What is the Laver Cup schedule?

The 2025 Laver Cup begins Friday with an action-packed schedule. Team Europe’s Casper Ruud and Team World’s Reilly Opelka kickstart this year’s edition before Jakub Mensik faces Alex Michelsen.

It will be a blockbuster evening session, during which Flavio Cobolli meets Joao Fonseca. Then, Carlos Alcaraz partners Mensik against Taylor Fritz and Michelsen. View the full order of play below.

ORDER OF PLAY – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
CHASE CENTER start 1 p.m.
Casper Ruud (EUR) vs Reilly Opelka (WLD)
Jakub Mensik (EUR) vs Alex Michelsen (WLD)

Not Before 7 p.m.
Flavio Cobolli (EUR) vs Joao Fonseca (WLD)
Carlos Alcaraz (EUR) / Jakub Mensik (EUR) vs Taylor Fritz (WLD) / Alex Michelsen (WLD)

Read More from the Laver Cup:
Meet the teams: Who is playing in the Laver Cup?
Alcaraz visits Alcatraz, Agassi works with Fonseca at Laver Cup
Laver Cup: Teams, Dates, History & All You Need To Know

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Alcaraz through the eyes of Agassi, Rafter: He's like a combination of the Big Three

Explosive firepower, seamless movement and echoes of the ‘Big Three’ — Carlos Alcaraz has impressed Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter, two ATP No. 1 Club members who know what it takes to reach the top of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Speaking ahead of the Laver Cup, Team World captain Agassi marveled at how Alcaraz has captured the hearts of fans worldwide while blending qualities from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“There’s not a place in the world where he goes and he’s not the crowd favourite,” Agassi said, speaking exclusively with ATPTour.com. “And for obvious reasons. What he’s brought to the game is a mixture of the last generation we had.

“I know Novak is still playing, but Novak, Roger and Rafa — he’s like a combination of all of them in one, with the RPMs he can put [on the ball], the defence that he has like Novak, the feel that he has like Federer. To see that in one person on a tennis court is remarkable.”

Agassi spent 101 total weeks atop the PIF ATP Rankings, ninth-most all time. Alcaraz, 22, is already more than a third of the way there. The Spaniard reclaimed No. 1 honours following his sixth major title at the US Open this month. Now in his fifth stint as World No. 1, Alcaraz has held the top spot for a total of 38 weeks.

Alcaraz first rose to No. 1 in 2022, when he won the US Open, which came with a double prize. Alcaraz became the youngest No. 1 (19 years, four months) in PIF ATP Rankings history.

Rafter, who is vice captain for Team World, rose to World No. 1 for a single week in 1999 and remains the only ATP No. 1 Club member to never play a match while holding the position. An 11-time tour-level titlist, Rafter is impressed by Alcaraz’s all-around repertoire.

“He can produce power from anywhere and no one has that power,” Rafter said. “He’s probably one of the greatest movers we’ve ever seen in the game of tennis. That combination is pretty impressive, plus he’s got all the shots.”

Agassi and Rafter will have an up-close look at Alcaraz this weekend when they guide Team World against Team Europe, which features the World No. 1.

“[He is] one of the most explosive, dynamic players that the game has ever seen,” Agassi said. “I’ve seen him play live a few times, but to be down there on the court next to it will be something special.”

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No. 1 Club icons unite: Agassi, Rafter lead Team World's new era

Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter often battled at some of the sport’s biggest tournaments in their day. Now, they will stand side by side as they guide Team World at the Laver Cup.

Team World captain Agassi and vice captain Rafter, two of the 29 members in the ATP No. 1 Club, are taking over in a new era of Laver Cup leadership. Agassi is replacing John McEnroe as Team World’s captain while Yannick Noah spearheads Team Europe, formerly led by Bjorn Borg.

“Truth be told, I don’t think I would’ve done it if Pat didn’t say he would join me,” Agassi told ATPTour.com. “I literally said, ‘You’re the guy I want’. He was one of the great players, one of the great athletes, one of the great competitors.”

Agassi and Rafter met 15 times, spanning 1993-2001, in their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry, with the American winning 10 of those matches. Now, more than two decades after their final meeting, Agassi and Rafter’s mutual respect and friendship will be on display in San Francisco.

“He was one of those guys who when I lost to him, I could actually take a little solace in the fact that, ‘Well, at least Pat won and I’m happy for him’,” reflected Agassi. “He just always earned players’ respect on and off the court and now to share the same side of the net with him is a win for me.”

Rafter echoed that same sentiment to the assembled media: “Andre asked me, “Do you want to be involved?” Being with Andre is awesome. I did keep in contact with him once a year. You don’t often keep in contact with a lot of the ex-players. Just so much respect for him… This is so beautiful, so amazing. [I’m] spoiled rotten, I’m loving it.”

After a narrow 13-11 defeat last year, Team World will aim for its third Laver Cup triumph (2022, 2023) with new voices on the sideline.

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'Hopefully our time now' – GB into BJK Cup semis

A ruthless Katie Boulter secures Great Britain’s place in the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win against Japan.

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Raducanu misses three match points in Korea Open loss to Krejcikova

Emma Raducanu misses three match points in a three-set loss to former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the Korea Open second round.

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Meet the teams: Who is playing in the Laver Cup?

Some of the biggest stars on the ATP Tour are ready to compete in the Laver Cup.

The Carlos Alcaraz-led Team Europe will try to defend its crown in San Francisco against Team World, headlined by Taylor Fritz.

For the first time since the event’s inception in 2017, there are new captains: Yannick Noah (Team Europe) and Andre Agassi (Team World). Tim Henman (Team Europe) and Patrick Rafter (Team World) are vice captains. View the full teams for the competition below.

Team Europe
Carlos Alcaraz
Alexander Zverev
Holger Rune
Casper Ruud
Jakub Mensik
Flavio Cobolli
Alternate: Tomas Machac
Captain: Yannick Noah
Vice Captain: Tim Henman

Team World
Taylor Fritz
Alex de Minaur
Francisco Cerundolo
Alex Michelsen
Joao Fonseca
Reilly Opelka
Alternate: Jenson Brooksby
Captain: Andre Agassi
Vice Captain: Patrick Rafter

There are three Laver Cup debutants on Team Europe (Rune, Mensik and Cobolli (2024 alternate)) and two on Team World (Michelsen and Fonseca).

Alcaraz is competing for the first time since returning to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings the day after winning the US Open. The Spaniard played in the Laver Cup for the first time last year, earning victories against Fritz and Ben Shelton.

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Boulter win puts GB into BJK Cup semi-finals

Watch the best shots, as Katie Boulter’s win over Moyuka Uchijima sees Great Britain secure a 2-0 win over Japan, setting up a Billie Jean King Cup semi-final with the United States.

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GB's Kartal dominates Shibahara in BJK Cup match win

Watch the best shots, as Sonay Kartal beats Ena Shibahara of Japan to give Great Britain a 1-0 lead in their Billie Jean King Cup quarter-final tie.

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Shevchenko advances in Chengdu after 'childhood hero' Monfils retires

Gael Monfils cut a dejected figure on Thursday after suffering a painful fall that forced him to retire from his opening match against Alexander Shevchenko at the Chengdu Open.

The 39-year-old Frenchman, who had taken the first set, rolled his ankle late in the second and grew visibly emotional once it became clear he could not continue. After Shevchenko leveled the contest, Monfils retired at 7-6(3), 3-6, 0-1.

“I loved every second of the match, and I really didn’t want to end it like this,” said Shevchenko, who helped Monfils up after he fell. “He’s my childhood hero, I enjoy watching him so much and I wish him a fast recovery. He’s incredible, there are so many people looking up to him.”

Monfils won his 13th ATP Tour title in Auckland in January and backed it up with a fourth-round run at the Australian. But the World No. 52 has now slipped to five consecutive defeats and owns an 18-15 record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Making his debut at the Chinese ATP 250 event, Shevchenko next plays big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who did not face a break point across the second and third sets of his 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Filip Misolic.

Earlier, #NextGenATP star Dino Prizmic moved past Terence Atmane 6-4, 6-3 in the Frenchman’s first appearance since his breakthrough run to the Cincinnati semi-finals last month. The 20-year-old Prizmic, who is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, is competing in Chengdu through the Next Gen Accelerator, which offers players aged 20 and under increased opportunity to compete on the ATP Tour.

Prizmic set a second-round meeting with top seed and last year’s runner-up Lorenzo Musetti, who is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and aiming to strengthen his push for a Nitto ATP Finals qualification.

Other winners on Day 2 in Chengdu include eighth seed Lorenzo Sonego and qualifier Mackenzie McDonald, who both earned deciding-set victories. Sonego rallied past Juan Manuel Cerundolo 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, while McDonald held firm for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp to improve to 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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