Martina Navratilova, tennis legend, has been identified as having early-stage throat, breast cancer
Martina Navratilova, a tennis great, has been given a throat and breast cancer diagnosis. The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, who was first told she had breast cancer in 2010, will start her treatment in New York later this month.
According to 66-year-old Navratilova, both tumours were caught early on.
“The double whammy is serious, but fixable, and I’m hoping for a favourable outcome,” she said. “It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all I have got.”
According to CNN, Navratilova discovered a swollen lymph node in her neck while competing in the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in November.
Following a biopsy, stage 1 throat cancer was discovered. A lump in her breast was also found during the testing, and it was later determined to be unrelated to cancer.
“Both of these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes,” Navratilova’s representative Mary Greenham added.
Navratilova was scheduled to broadcast from the Tennis Channel studio in Melbourne to cover the Australian Open this month, but she will instead make sporadic remote appearances.
The nine-time Wimbledon singles winner admitted that she felt “helpless” following her cancer diagnosis in 2010, but she made the decision to share the news in order to support other women going through comparable medical issues.
