Martina Navratilova Says She Has Throat and Breast Cancer

Navratilova, who played her first Wimbledon as a 16-year-old in 1973 and won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, drew an outpouring of support with the disclosure that she was once again confronting cancer.

Among those offering her well wishes were Evert, a onetime rival and also an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, who disclosed in January 2022 that she had an early form of ovarian cancer.

Evert, who underwent chemotherapy, announced in May that she was cancer free, with a 90 to 95 percent chance it would never return.

“Thinking of @Martina today and supporting her journey, like she did mine, with love and prayers,” Evert, 68, wrote on Twitter. “This is a woman who takes on challenges with strength and resilience…You got this, Martina!”

The tennis great Billie Jean King called Navratilova “as brave as she is strong.”

“She has fought this battle before, and she is in our thoughts and prayers,” she wrote on Twitter.

Navratilova, an outspoken and wide-ranging commentator on social media, expressed gratitude for the support.

“Needless to say my phone and twitter are both blowing up so I will say again- thank you all for your support and I am not done yet:),” she wrote on Twitter. “Xoxoxo.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/us/martina-navratilova-cancer-diagnosis.html