Newcombe, 65, had a growth removed from the right side of his nose after his doctor discovered the cancer had spread under the skin.

“It's just a small little white thing you can hardly see it,” the seven-time grand slam champion told Australia's Channel 10 television network.

“It's a cancerous growth so he (the doctor) had to cut..and I finished up having to have 64 stitches.” Newcombe won seven grand slam singles titles and reached the world's No.1 ranking.