Bjorn Borg reveals shocking details of how he overdosed during drug addiction

Thursday, 01 January 2026 at 20:25

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byJordan Reynolds

11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg has provided additional details about his drug issues after retiring from tennis.

The Swedish ATP legend stunned fans and fellow players when he announced his retirement at 26 in 1983. Borg was still near his peak, and almost certainly would have won more Major titles had he continued.

From 1991 to 1993, Borg attempted a comeback but was unsuccessful. He never came near his previous level and stepped away from the sport again without winning any more significant titles.

Until a few months ago, little was known about Borg's life during his first retirement. That ended when the Swede stunningly revealed in a book and during interviews for it that he had problems with drug addiction.

Borg spoke with great embarrassment about ending up in the hospital the day after taking cocaine and how his father, with him when it happened and in the hospital afterward, could not bear to talk to him when traveling home.

In an interview with The Times, Borg provided more details about those drug issues. He admitted that taking cocaine, often at parties in Manhattan, was done in an attempt to find happiness during a challenging time in his life.

"They always had parties in Manhattan. I thought, "I'm not playing tennis anymore, so I can try (cocaine). It would be better not to try it. Going into drugs or pills or alcohol - it's terrible. But then in the end, I took more drugs and pills, and it's just to find happiness. Where is happiness?"

The six-time French Open winner then bravely opened up about when he went into cardiac arrest after collapsing on a bridge in the Netherlands. It was caused by a combination of drugs, alcohol, and pills.

“I feel the ground beneath my feet heaving. It's like I'm moving in the air; I can't move forward. We have to cross a bridge, a typical Dutch bridge over a canal where houseboats are swaying."

"At that moment, I sink to the ground. Everything goes black, and the unimaginable happens. I'm dying. I see no bright light or a film of my life passing by; everything is simply gone. My heart no longer goes boom boom boom, because now it's standing still. Yet, just before everything goes black, I think: how could it have come to this?"

Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe were replaced as Laver Cup captains

From 2017 to 2024, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe led Team Europe and Team World in the Laver Cup. They were the ideal pair because of their iconic rivalry during their playing careers and friendship.

Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi replaced them for last year's iteration. Despite Noah's experience as a Davis Cup title-winning captain for Team France, Agassi and Team World prevailed after a thrilling three days of action.

Carlos Alcaraz's loss to Taylor Fritz proved a crucial moment. The Spaniard played uncharacteristically poorly, and his American opponent did not waste his opportunity to secure a notable triumph that helped Team World's ultimately successful cause.