Martina Navratilova, who is one of the boggest legends of tennis, was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer at the same time.
Martina Navratilova : Breast Cancer | Smoking | News
Navratilova was born Martina Šubertová in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Her parents divorced when she was three, and her mother, an accomplished gymnast, tennis player, and ski instructor, moved the family to Řevnice.
In 1962, her mother Jana married Miroslav Navrátil, who became her first tennis coach.
Martina then took the name of her stepfather (adding the feminine suffix -ová), thus becoming Martina Navrátilová. Her father, Mirek (officially Miroslav Šubert), was a ski instructor.
Navratilova has a younger sister, Jana, and an older paternal half-brother.
Martina Navratilova Breast Cancer
Tennis great Martina Navratilova said Monday that she has been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer.
In a statement released by her representative, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame said her prognosis is good and she will start treatment this month.
“This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome,” the 66-year-old Navratilova said. “It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all have I got.”
She said 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 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.
Martina Navratilova Smoking
Billie Jean King led the support for Martina Navratilova tonight as she called the tennis legend ‘as brave as she is strong’ following her throat and breast cancer diagnosis.
Navratilova, Wimbledon’s greatest ever singles champion, announced that doctors had diagnosed her with two forms of cancer after she discovered a swollen lymph node in her neck in November.
Martina Navratilova does not smoke.
Throat cancer is a general term that describes several different types of cancer that start in the throat (pharynx) or voice box (larynx).
Symptoms include ear pain or a sore throat, a lump in the neck, difficulty swallowing, change in your voice or speech, unexplained weight loss, a cough, shortness of breath and a feeling of something stuck in the throat.
It can be caused by a range of risk factors including smoking, drinking alcohol and viral infections, including human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus.
‘She has fought this battle before, and she is in our thoughts and prayers.’
Czech-born American Navratilova, who is married to former Russian beauty queen Julia Lemigova, 50, said: ‘I’m hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all I have got.’
The former tennis world number one’s diagnosis comes after she was given the all-clear from a non-invasive form of breast cancer in 2010 following radiation treatment.
Navratilova, who won 59 grand slam singles and doubles titles in her 40-year career, will not travel to this month’s Australian Open, where she was intending to work as a TV pundit.
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“This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome,” says the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion.
Martina Navratilova, one of the greatest athletes in history, has been diagnosed with Stage 1 throat cancer.
In addition, an unrelated form of breast cancer, still in its early stages, was discovered during throat examinations. Navratilova was previously diagnosed with non-invasive breast cancer—ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS—in 2010.
“This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome,” Navratilova said. “It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all have I got.”
The 66-year-old will begin treatment this month, with a strong prognosis considering a history of positive outcomes for these cancers. The throat cancer is type HPV, which responds well to treatment.
Six months after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2010, Navratilova was deemed cancer-free following a lumpectomy and six weeks of radiation.
“I really didn’t talk much about breast cancer before I had it,” Navratilova told PEOPLE. “Now, I’m approached by women and we share our stories. It’s encouraging to see that there’s life after cancer.”
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