“It will stink for a while, but I will fight with everything I have.” Former tennis player Martina Navratilova wanted to be combative by announcing on Monday that she had double cancer of the throat and breast. “This double whammy is serious but still reversible”announces the 66-year-old former player, who had already overcome breast cancer that appeared in 2010. “I hope for a favorable outcome”still ensures the former world number 1 with 59 Grand Slam titles (singles, doubles and mixed doubles combined), cited by the WTA, the sports association organizing professional tennis competitions for women.
The American, born on October 18, 1956 in Prague, then capital of communist Czechoslovakia, carried out tests last November after discovering a lump in her throat. On this occasion, the doctors also diagnosed her second breast cancer, both in phase 1.
“Martina noticed that she had an enlarged lymph node in her neck, on the sidelines of the WTA Finals in Fort Worth (Texas). As it did not pass, she underwent a biopsy, the result of which revealed stage 1 throat cancer. explains the former player’s agent in a press release. During this examination, “a suspicious form was detected in her breast which turned out to be cancer, completely independent of that of the throat”says the agent.
“These two cancers are caught early”
Navratilova will begin treatment next week in New York, according to the WTA. “Throat cancer is HPV type and responds really well to treatment (…) These two cancers are caught early and often end well”, specifies the agent of Navratilova. The ex-player gave up flying to Melbourne where she was to commentate on the Australian Open (January 16-29), but “She hopes to be able to intervene from time to time” via the internet, adds the agent.
Martina Navratilova has brought a new physical dimension to women’s tennis. Accompanied by great agility at the net, his game helped him win 18 Grand Slam singles titles. His nine trophies at Wimbledon are to date the record for men and women combined (Serena Williams has won seven, Roger Federer eight and Novak Djokovic has seven).
Off the courts, she has become an ardent defender of the LGBT cause. In 2014, she married her longtime partner Julia Lemigova and they live in Miami with their two daughters.