Former top tennis star Martina Navrátilová is cancer-free again. The eighteen-time Grand Slam winner, who suffered from breast and throat cancer, recently received that message from the doctors who treat her.
“As far as they know, I am cancer-free,” says the Czech-born American TalkTV. She announced early this year that she had been diagnosed with throat cancer and that she had an unrelated form of breast cancer that was in its early stages.
“This double blow is intense, but it can still be saved,” said 66-year-old Navrátilová at the time. “It’s going to be tough, but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.”
The former world number one, who won no less than 167 tournaments in singles, received chemotherapy and radiation. The radiation treatments will continue preventively for the next two weeks. “And after that it should be fine.”
The disease came to light in early November when Navrátilová discovered an enlarged lymph node in her neck. Then the breast cancer was also discovered. She was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. At the time, she was declared cancer-free six months after that diagnosis following breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) and six weeks of radiation.
With her eighteen Grand Slam titles, won between 1978 and 1987, Navrátilová is one of the best tennis players of all time. Only Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23), Steffi Graf (22) and Helen Wills-Moody (19) captured more majors. Court and Wills-Moody won (some of) their amateur-era titles for 1968.
Meeste Grand Slam-titels in vrouwenenkelspel
- 24 – Margaret Court (Aus)
- 23 – Serena Williams (VS)
- 22 – Steffi Graf (Dui)
- 19 – Helen Wills-Moody (VS)
- 18 – Martina Navrátilová (VS/Tsj)
- 18 – Chris Evert (VS)
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