Iconic tennis player Martina Navratilova has revealed she has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.
The 66-year-old is considered among the greatest players of all time, winning a total of 59 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles.
“This double whammy is serious but still fixable,” the 66-year-old said in a statement on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) website.
“I’m hoping for a favorable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all have I got.”
Czech-born Navratilova, who became an American citizen in 1981, was also diagnosed and beat breast cancer in 2010.
Navratilova’s agent, Mary Greenham, said the tennis legend discovered an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, which was held from October 31 to November 7.
“Martina noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA finals in Fort Worth,” said Navratilova’s representative Mary Greenham. “When it didn’t do down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as Stage 1 throat cancer.
“At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer.
“Both of these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes.”
Greenham said Navratilova, who now works as tennis presenter on television and radio, will not travel to Melbourne for the Jan. 16-29 Australian Open but hopes to contribute to the broadcasts remotely.
Navratilova enjoyed a long playing career in which she won 18 grand slam singles titles, 31 grand slam doubles titles and 10 grand slam mixed doubles titles. She still holds the WTA Tour’s all-time record of 167 titles.
After retiring from singles in 1994 at the age of 38, she continued playing doubles – and winning titles – into her 40s.
