Navratilova says doctors told her she is cancer-free
Martina Navratilova has been told by doctors that, “as far as they know, I’m cancer-free,” and that she should be “good to go” after some additional radiation treatment.
The 66-year-old Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, discussed her health in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV scheduled to be aired Tuesday.
Navratilova said in January that she had throat cancer and breast cancer and would be starting treatment.
During the interview with Morgan, according to The Sun newspaper, Navratilova said that when she was diagnosed, “I was in a total panic for three days, thinking I may not see next Christmas” and came up with a bucket list of things she wanted to do.
She noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck while attending the season-ending 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, early stage breast cancer was discovered.
Navratilova was diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer in 2010 and had a lumpectomy.
She won 59 Grand Slam titles overall, including 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. The last was a mixed doubles championship with Bob Bryan at the 2006 U.S. Open, a month shy of 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 and occasionally competed in singles, too.
She has worked as a TV analyst in recent years.