Martina Navratilova, a tennis icon who was recently diagnosed with breast and throat cancer, says she is hoping for a “favorable outcome.” The 66-year-old American native of Czechoslovakia revealed the diagnosis on Monday but noted that both conditions were curable.
The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion has previously been diagnosed with cancer; in 2010, she was found to have breast cancer, but six months later, the diagnosis was changed to “clean.”
“The double whammy is serious but fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome,” she said. “It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all I have got.”
“The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month”
Navratilova discovered a swollen lymph node in her neck while competing in the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in November. Her representative said in a statement provided to AFP.
“When it didn’t go down, a biopsy was performed, and the results came back as stage one throat cancer,” her agent said in a statement sent to AFP.
During the tests, a lump was also discovered in her breast, which was later diagnosed as unrelated cancer.
“The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month,” said her agent.
“The cancer type is HPV (human papillomavirus) and this particular type responds really well to treatment. Both these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes.”
Although she will occasionally appear remotely, Navratilova has been forced to cancel her plans to commentate on the Australian Open due to her treatment in New York.
Martina Navratilova’s career in numbers
Navratilova added a new physical dimension to women’s tennis as a player. She won a total of 59 Major trophies during her playing career—31 doubles titles, 10 mixed doubles titles, and 18 singles titles—making her the dominant player of her time thanks to her strong serve and quickness at the net. Her record at Wimbledon is unmatched; she has won nine singles titles, more than any other player (Serena Williams won the women’s title seven times while Roger Federer won it eight times).
She also won seven women’s doubles titles at Wimbledon as well as four mixed doubles, the last of which came in 2003 when she was 46, making it 20 titles at the All-England Club.
Away from the court, she has become a fierce advocate for the LGBT cause. The tennis legend wed her longtime lover Julia Lemigova in 2014, and the two of them now reside in Miami with their two daughters.