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tennis icon martina navratilova has two kinds of cancer: 'i’ll fight with all have i got'

the double diagnosis for the iconic tennis player comes a decade after breast cancer.

by maija kappler
published jan 03, 2023
read time 2 minute read
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read time 2 minute read
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martina navratilova diagnosed with throat, breast cancers
wta legend ambassador martina navratilova at the official draw ceremony and gala in zapopan, mexico on evening before the 2021 akron wta finals guadalajara at zapopan city hall on nov. 8, 2021. getty
tennis legend martina navratilova is remaining optimistic even though she has been diagnosed with two kinds of cancers. navratilova, 66, had previously beat breast cancer in 2010. she has been diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time, as well as stage one throat cancer.
“this double whammy is serious but still fixable. i’m hoping for a favourable outcome,” she said in a statement to the women’s tennis association (wta). “it’s going to stink for a while, but i’ll fight with all have i got.”
in november, navratilova realized she had an enlarged lymph node in her neck. following a biopsy, she was diagnosed with throat cancer. testing also revealed a lump on her breast, which was diagnosed as stage one breast cancer.
“both of these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes,” navratilova’s representative mary greenham told bbc news. navratilova will undergo treatments starting next week.

previous battle with breast cancer

in early 2010, navratilova was first diagnosed with a form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ. it’s considered non-invasive because it’s centralized to the milk duct and doesn’t spread to other parts of the breast. at the time, she told the wta, she cried for “about 15 seconds” and then asked her doctor how to fight it.

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evert's sister jeanne evert dubin was diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer and died in february 2020.
file - in this feb. 13, 1972, file photo, members of the evert family are shown in their home in fort lauderdale, fla. front row from left are john, 10, mother colette, jeanne, 14, and father james. back from left are chris, drew, 18 and clare, 4. jeanne evert dubin, a former world-ranked professional tennis player and a younger sister of 18-time grand slam champion chris evert, has died. evert dubin died thursday, feb. 20, 2020, after a 2 1/2-year struggle with ovarian cancer. she was 62. (ap photo/file) org xmit: ny150

b.c. premier expects 'full recovery' following throat cancer diagnosis
b.c. premier john horgan, who had bladder cancer in his 40s, is optimistic as he faces throat cancer.
b.c. premier john horgan recently spoke out about his cancer diagnosis. (kevin light / reuters)
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the cancer was removed in a procedure called a lumpectomy, and navratilova also underwent radiation treatment to kill any remaining cancer cells. by september of that year, she was cancer-free.
the surgery itself was easy, “but the radiation was trickier,” navratilova told people at the time. “it was six weeks of really low energy. radiation just sucks your energy like a vampire, day by day.” she continued to feel lethargic even after her treatment ended, but after a while she said she felt “as good as new.”
navratilova also said she had skipped out on mammograms for several years before her initial diagnosis and urged other women not to make the same mistake. “another year and i could have been in big trouble.”

support has poured in

since announcing her diagnoses, many fans and friends of navratilova have expressed their support for her on social media. fellow tennis legend billie jean king wrote on twitter that navratilova “is as brave as she is strong.” chris evert, another tennis player who has played against navratilova and who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year, praised her for taking “on challenges with strength and resilience.”
navratilova’s wife julia lemigova also shared a photo of the two of them on instagram with the caption “together, we will fight this.”
story continues below
navratilova has won a whopping 59 grand slam titles and kept winning into her 40s. since retiring, she’s worked as a coach, broadcaster, and wta ambassador.
before her diagnosis, navratilova was planning to cover the australian open for the tennis channel. that will no longer happen, but her representative said she hopes to occasionally join in via zoom.
maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing.
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