Navratilova now ‘cancer-free’ following double diagnosis
Martina Navratilova has revealed she is now “cancer-free” after the tennis great feared she “may not see next Christmas” following a devastating double diagnosis.
The former world No.1, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles during her long career, revealed in January she had been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer.
The 66-year-old is due to undergo further preventative radiation treatment but said in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV she should then “be good to go”.
“As far as they know I’m cancerfree,” she said in the interview aired on Tuesday.
Navratilova, winner of 59 Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles, revealed her diagnosis had left her fearing the worst.
“I was in a total panic for three days thinking I may not see next Christmas,” she said.
“The bucket list came into my mind of all the things I wanted to do. And this may sound really shallow, but I was like, ‘OK, which kick-ass car do I really want to drive if I live like a year’?’”
Navratilova, who previously underwent treatment for early-stage breast cancer in 2010, sought medical help after noticing an enlarged lymph node in her neck, with tests subsequently confirming she had cancer.
She added: “This was the first week in December, [I’m thinking] I will see this Christmas but maybe not the next one.”
But doctors were able to tell her the throat cancer was “extremely treatable” and she had a “95-percent” chance
SABALENKA FACES ‘HATE’
Belarus’ world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka says she has faced “hate” in the women’s tour locker room but hopes tensions with Ukrainian players will eventually ease.
Australian Open champion Sabalenka lost to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in Sunday’s Indian Wells final and at the media day for this week’s ATP-WTA Miami Open was asked about her recent comments on “tensions” in the locker room between Ukrainian and Russian and Belarus players.
“It was really, really tough for me because I’ve never faced that much hate in the locker room,” said Sabalenka.
“Of course, there are a lot of haters on Instagram when you’re losing the matches, but like in the locker room, I’ve never faced that.
“It was really tough for me to understand that there are so many people who really hate me for no reason, like no reason. I mean, like I did nothing.”
Sabalenka said sometimes the tension had gone beyond awkward silences and abrupt conversations.
“I had some, not like fights, but I had some weird conversations with, not the girls, but with members of their team. It was really, it was tough. It was tough period. But, now it’s getting better,” she said.