Martina Navratilova says she’s ‘OK’ after throat & breast cancer diagnosis
Martina Navratilova, 66, says she’s ‘OK’ after throat and breast cancer diagnosis as she accepts ‘Golden Racket’ award at Italian Open
- Navratilova revealed in January that she had been diagnosed with cancer in two places
- She has since undergone treatment and has been cancer-free since March
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Martina Navratilova is ‘OK’ after being diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.
“I’ve had a very difficult year, but now I’m doing well,” the 18-time Grand Slam champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame said Sunday at the Italian Open after receiving the “Racchetta d’Oro ‘. ‘ (Golden Racket) award for her contributions to the sport.
Navratilova, 66, said in January that her prognosis was good and she would begin treatment that month.
She then said she noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck while attending the year-end WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in November, and a biopsy showed early-stage throat cancer.
While Navratilova was undergoing tests on her throat, she said, the unrelated breast cancer was detected at an early stage.
Martina Navratilova said she is “doing well” after being diagnosed with breast and throat cancer
Navratilova was at the Foro Italico in Rome to receive the Racchetta d’Oro Prize
Navratilova returned to her job as a TV analyst for the Tennis Channel in March, when she said in an interview with TalkTV’s Piers Morgan that doctors had told her that “as far as they know, I’m cancer-free,” and she would be “good to go.” go’ should be after some extra radiation.
Navratilova delivered her acceptance speech in Italian to the Campo Centrale crowd.
“Tennis has given me a surprising life that I am very grateful for,” she said. “I always tried to give something back when I played, even when I retired.”
Navratilova was a four-time singles runner-up at the Foro Italico and a three-time doubles champion – with her last Rome title coming in 2003 with partner Svetlana Kuznetsova at age 46.
Navratilova delivered her acceptance speech in Italian to the Campo Centrale crowd
Navratilova has returned to her job as a TV commentator and says she is cancer free
She won a total of 59 Grand Slam singles titles, including 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles.
The last was a mixed doubles championship with Bob Bryan at the 2006 US Open, a month before her 50th birthday.
Navratilova originally retired in 1994, after a record 167 singles titles and 331 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
She returned to the tour to play doubles in 2000, occasionally competing in singles as well.