Funviralpark NEW YORK (AP) — Tennis great Martina Navratilova revealed Monday that she has been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer.
18-time Grand Slam singles champion, in a statement released by her agent And a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame said her prognosis is good and she will begin treatment this month.
66-year-old Navratilova said, “This double blow is serious, but it’s still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome.”
While attending the season-ending WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas in November, she noticed enlarged lymph nodes in her neck, and a biopsy showed early throat cancer. An unrelated early breast cancer was discovered while Navratilova underwent a throat examination, she said.
“Needless to say, my phone and Twitter are both broken, so I’ll say it again. Thank you all for your support. I’m not done yet,” she said. murmured Monday.
Navratilova was diagnosed with breast cancer in situ in 2010 and underwent a lumpectomy.
She won 59 Grand Slam titles, including 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. The last was her mixed doubles championship with Bob Bryan at the 2006 US Open just before her 50th birthday.
Navratilova retired in 1994, winning 167 singles titles and holding the WTA No. 1 ranking for 331 consecutive weeks. She returned to the tour in 2000 to play doubles and occasionally competed in singles as well.
Navratilova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. In recent years she has worked as a television analyst.
A statement issued on Monday said Navratilova will not be in the Tennis Channel’s regular coverage of the Australian Open later this month, but “hopes to be able to attend from time to time” via videoconference.
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