Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer

By Cara Murez

Health Day Reporter

TUESDAY, Jan. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who has won 59 career Grand Slam titles, announced Monday that she has both stage 1 breast cancer and throat cancer.

Navratilova, 66, first found an enlarged lymph node in her neck last fall, her agent, Mary Greenham, said CNN.

That happened sometime between October 31 and November 7 during the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Fort Worth, Texas.

Later, during throat tests, doctors found a suspicious site in one of Navratilova’s breasts, which also turned out to be cancer, Greenham said, noting a good prognosis in both cases.

“This double whammy is serious but still repairable,” Navratilova said in a statement on the WTA website. “I hope for a favorable result. It will stink for a while, but I will fight with all my might.”

This is the second bout of breast cancer for the tennis legend, who was treated for the disease back in 2010.

Navratilova was scheduled to cover the upcoming Australian Open from the Tennis Channel studio. CNN reported. She hopes to occasionally join via Zoom instead, Greenham said.

Navratilova has worked as a coach, broadcaster and ambassador for the WTA Tour in the years since she retired. During her tennis career, she won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam doubles titles and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. CNN reported.

She has an all-time WTA Tour record of 167 titles. Navratilova retired from singles at 38 but played doubles well into her 40s.

Navratilova has also worked to raise awareness about screening for diseases, including breast cancer, CNN reported.

More information

The US National Library of Medicine has more on throat cancer.

SOURCE: CNN