REVEALING HER CANCER DIAGNOSIS MARTINA NAVRATILOVA VOWS TO ‘FIGHT WITH ALL I’VE GOT’ AS FELLOW TENNIS STARS SEND SUPPORT
REPORT: LAURA BENJAMIN
S he became a tennis icon by displaying grit, determination and superhero strength. Indeed, when Martina Navratilova was first diagnosed with breast cancer nearly 13 years ago, she told HELLO! how her optimistic and calm personality helped her get through the illness. “I’ve always been a very positive person and that really helped in this instance,” she told us in an exclusive interview from her Aspen retreat in 2010. “Sometimes maybe I’m too positive, to the point of being naïve. I think nothing bad is going to happen, but when it does, then I deal with it. I’m very good in a crisis situation.”
No doubt these characteristics will be called upon again in the coming weeks after the tennis champion revealed she had been diagnosed with two types of cancer. The 18-time Grand Slam singles winner, 66, will be treated for throat and breast cancers, but emphasised that both had been caught at an early stage. “The double whammy is serious but fixable and I’m hoping for a favourable outcome,” she said last week. “It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all I have got.”
Czech-born Martina, who won Wimbledon nine times during a stellar career, first noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck last November. A biopsy revealed stage 1 throat cancer and subsequent tests identified another lump in her breast, which was soon diagnosed as an unrelated cancer. Her spokeswoman said: “Both cancers are in their early stage with great outcomes. The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month.”
As soon as the news of her latest battle was announced, Martina’s closest friends from the world of tennis immediately offered words of encouragement, praising her renowned strength and determination. Her former rival on the court, Chris Evert – who recently recovered from ovarian cancer – wrote on social media: “Thinking of Martina Navratilova today and supporting her journey, like she did mine, with lo
