Former No.1 women's tennis player and legend Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancers. (More Tennis News)
The winner of 59 grand slam titles in singles and doubles had undergone treatment for early stages of breast cancer in 2010. As a result of this new development, she will be absent from the Australian Open, starting January 16, where she usually appears as a TV pundit.
66-year-old Navratilova spoke of her diagnosis, and said, "This double whammy is serious, but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while, but I will fight with all I have got."
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A statement from her representative stated that the prognosis has been good.
Read the full statement below:
“Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with stage one throat cancer. The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month.
“The cancer type is HPV and this particular type responds really well to treatment. Martina noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA finals in Fort Worth. When it didn’t go down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as stage one 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.
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“Both these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes. Martina won’t be covering the Australian Open for Tennis Channel from their studio but hopes to be able to join in from time to time by Zoom.”
The 9-time Wimbledon champion admitted to feeling helpless after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 but was content at going public with it in the hopes that it would encourage other women suffering from the same condition to get treatment.
