Martina Navratilova gathers around close friend Chris Evert just days after revealing second ovarian cancer diagnosis… with tennis legends – who both battled the disease in the grueling 2023 – sharing 'delicious food'

Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert came together to share some “delicious food” just days after Evert revealed her second ovarian cancer diagnosis.

It's been an incredibly difficult year for the two former tennis greats, with both battling multiple battles with cancer.

Navratilova, who is currently cancer-free after being diagnosed with throat and breast cancer in January, hosted Evert at her home as tennis fans left excited to see the two friends together.

Evert, 68, is an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion but this remains one of her biggest battles as she now faces a second battle with cancer in two years.

In Navratilova she has a good friend who knows what she is going through and the pair were able to smile as they had something to eat together.

Evert captioned it: 'We are in this together!' Both former tennis stars have battled cancer

Evert shared the photo with her 314,000 followers on X and captioned the image: 'We are in this together. Thanks for the delicious food @Martina'

Evert was first diagnosed with BRCA-related stage 1 ovarian cancer in December 2021.

She completed chemotherapy in May 2022 and told the public that her doctor was confident the disease would not return because it was caught early.

But on Friday, Evert delivered the devastating news that her cancer had returned.

“Although this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I am once again fortunate that it was caught early,” Evert said in a statement released by American broadcaster ESPN.

'Doctors found cancer cells in the same pelvic area. All cells have been removed and I have started a new course of chemotherapy.'

Evert added that she will not broadcast for ESPN at the upcoming Australian Open while undergoing treatment.

'I'm ready for the rest of the Grand Slam season!' Evert added.

She previously announced her first cancer diagnosis in January 2022, insisting at the time that she was optimistic.

'I have led a very charmed life. Now I have a number of challenges ahead of me,” Evert said.

'But I take comfort in knowing that the chemotherapy should ensure that the cancer does not come back.'

Her sister, Jeanne Evert Dubin, died of ovarian cancer in February 2020 at the age of 62.

“Be your own advocate. Know your family's history. Be fully aware of your body, follow your feelings and be aware of changes,” Evert said in 2022. “Don't try to be a crusader and think this will go away.”

Navratilova (left) and Evert (right) were opponents on the field, but became closer after retirement

Evert was first diagnosed with BRCA-1 variant ovarian cancer in November 2021

Evert's sister Jeanne died of the same variant of the cancer that was discovered too late

It's been less than a year since Evert announced she was cancer-free, saying there was a 90 percent chance the disease wouldn't return.

Evert previously said that when her sister was first diagnosed, doctors did not recommend that she or her siblings get tested.

“Jeanne was not BRCA positive, but genetic testing showed she had a BRCA-1 variant of 'uncertain significance,'” she said.

'Then last November I got a call that they had reclassified her BRCA variant – the meaning was no longer uncertain, it was now very clearly pathogenic and we needed to be tested.'

In Navratilova, Evert not only has a sounding board of a former competitor on the field, but also of someone who can empathize with the struggle she faces in the fight against cancer.

In June this year, Navratilova delighted her supporters by revealing she was cancer-free.

A month later, despite being 'terrified', the Prague-born tennis icon got a 'f**k cancer' haircut to show how far she had come.

In a message about that of her wife Julia Lemigova Instagram accountthe couple shared the emotional moment Navratilova got her hair cut short, saying the trip was “a reminder of how far we've come.”

The video shows Navratilova, who has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles in her illustrious career, getting her blonde, shoulder-length hair cut into an elfin cut – dubbed the 'F*** cancer haircut'.

Evert won 18 grand slam titles, including six US Open crowns and seven French Open trophies

Nine-time Wimbledon champion Navratilova got a 'f**k cancer' haircut earlier this year

When Lemigova, 51, asked her wife how she felt about the bold new look, she said: “Marti, are you scared?” Navratilova replied: 'Terrified…but nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

Lemigova, who has been married to the player-turned-commentator since their marriage in Palm Beach in 2015, wrote: “My wife Martina has just beaten two cancers at once, and I couldn't be more proud of her strength and determination. Her courage and grace inspire me every day.

“Today we're taking her for a haircut, and it may seem like a small, simple thing, but it's a reminder of how far we've come. It is a symbol of hope and a celebration of life. We are grateful for every moment and we know that together we are stronger than we could ever be alone.”

After the trim, the tennis icon said she loved her new haircut.

In late June, ahead of Wimbledon, where she was working as a commentator, she announced on Twitter, after a full day of testing at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, that she was finally free of the disease.