Bjorn Borg's private life involved 3 marriages, drug overdose and scary health diagnosis

The tumultuous personal life of tennis legend Bjorn Borg was a stark contrast to the composed figure he cut on the court, unbeknownst to his millions of fans. The Swedish icon, now 69, reigned supreme in the world of tennis during the mid-1970s and early-1980s, clinching 11 Grand Slam titles in a mere seven-year span.

Despite being on track to shatter numerous records, Borg shocked the sporting world with his abrupt retirement in 1983 at just 26 years old. Although his final tournament took place when he was 25, it wasn't until a year later that he officially announced his retirement. Borg has always been a private individual, confessing earlier this September: "I'm a very secret person. And I'm a very stubborn person."

His penchant for keeping his personal life under wraps was finally unveiled with the publication of his memoir, Heartbeats. The book reveals startling insights into Borg's life, including his three marriages, battle with drug addiction, cancer diagnosis and the reasons behind his premature departure from tennis.

Borg's three marriages

Borg's first marriage occurred at the height of his tennis career when he tied the knot with Romanian tennis player Mariana Simionescu in 1980. After four years of dating, the couple became a regular feature in the press due to Borg's celebrity status in the sports world.

Simionescu retired from tennis the same year she married Borg to focus on supporting his career. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1984, shortly before Borg fathered a son, Robin, with Swedish model Jannike Bjorling. Borg's second marriage to Italian singer Loredana Berte in 1989 marked the beginning of a tumultuous period in his life. The couple relocated to Milan, where Borg confessed his life spiralled into chaos.

That same year, he suffered his first accidental drug overdose, and despite a recovery, he soon fell back into the clutches of substance abuse. The pair divorced in 1993, paving the way for Borg to meet his current wife, estate agent Patricia Ostfeld, whom he wed in 2002. It was upon Ostfeld's suggestion that Borg decided to pen his memoirs.

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Speaking to The Guardian, Borg said: "I was very happy she said yes because if she hadn't this book would never have come out. I would have taken my story to the grave. She said, 'What d'you want to put in it?' and I said, 'Everything. I want to be open.'".

Drug overdoses

Borg first encountered cocaine in 1982, and in his memoir Heartbeats, he likened the rush from the drug to the exhilaration he experienced on the tennis court. He wrote: "I got the same kind of rush I got from tennis. The feeling itself was new, and it made me feel incredibly energised. I was hooked immediately."

His retirement from tennis led to a bout of depression and aimlessness, which saw Borg increase his cocaine use, now combining the drug with uppers, downers, and alcohol. His first accidental overdose occurred in 1989, but thanks to Berte's quick thinking in calling an ambulance, his life was saved.

Another overdose four years later threatened once again to end his life prematurely and it's a situation Borg struggles to recount due to his embarrassment. Having been with his father in Holland for an exhibition tournament, Borg had been taking drugs the previous night.

He revealed: "My father and I were walking to the club to play the final of this exhibition tournament. And I said to him, 'I don't feel too good. I don't think I can make this.' My father said, 'Just take it easy.' Then I fell down on the ground, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in hospital with tubes in me.

"My father told me the ambulance came very quickly, and the doctor said, 'You were very close to dying.' That was probably the worst thing I ever did. It was terrible. When I woke up in the hospital I saw my father in front of me, and I was so embarrassed. When we flew home to Stockholm we didn't say a word to each other. He was disappointed, sad, and I'm sure he was angry too."

McEnroe's efforts

During his initial 10-year career, before his 1991 comeback, Borg had been one half of arguably tennis' greatest rivalry with John McEnroe. Dubbed 'Fire and Ice' due to the Swede's composed demeanour and the American's fiery temperament, the tennis legends created compelling viewing whenever they met on court.

With their head-to-head record locked at 7-7, the duo became global icons, partly through their epic battles across four Grand Slam finals, where McEnroe held a 3-1 advantage over Borg. Their final encounter took place at the 1981 US Open final, where the seven-time Grand Slam champion secured a four-set triumph over his opponent, but their rivalry ended far too prematurely for McEnroe's liking, according to Borg.

Speaking about whether anyone tried to persuade him to reconsider his retirement, Borg revealed: "I didn't keep in touch with the players. When I left tennis, I left all my friends. I left everything. Everything. And that was a huge mistake. I went into a different crowd, people who weren't interested in sport. That's why I started with drugs and pills and drinking."

He disclosed that McEnroe made the greatest effort to prevent him from walking away from the sport, confessing: "The one guy who called me all the time and said, 'You cannot quit, you cannot retire from tennis,' was John McEnroe.

"He called me so many times. 'What are you doing? I want to play you so many times. Björn. How can you leave tennis? You're not even 26 years old,' John said to me. 'I'm sorry, John, I've taken this decision.' He was very disappointed. Very sad."