“I can’t talk right now, but the pathology report came back today and revealed I have a malignant tumor in my fallopian tube.” This was Chris Evert’s message to journalist Chris McKendry in December 2021. McKendry had to read the message five times before reality dawned upon her and the same can be said about every tennis fan.

She was diagnosed with stage 1C ovarian cancer, but since it was in the early stages, treatment worked well for her. The cancer was in remission and doctors informed that her she had a 94% chance of a complete recovery. But fate had something else in mind. In December 2023, she got to know the cancer was back. “While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it was caught early.”

Both times, her diagnoses came at an early stage, which meant that the disease hadn’t spread much. No doubt, Chris Evert advocates for regular testing. In an August 21 interview on ‘Good Morning America’, the 69-year-old stated, “I was surprised. Because I was stage 1 because I got it, we got early the first time. So, that means you have a 90% chance of it not coming back. So two years later, I get the call and I had a CT… and my doctor said, ‘You know, we see something in your pelvic area,’ and I go, ‘Are you kidding me?'”

The 18-time Grand Slam champion shared it was cancerous. Hence, she had to go through more chemotherapy. “It’s almost like a second wake-up call.”

Her cancer diagnosis for the second time really pushed her to advocate more and openly talk about the BRCA1 gene, genetic testing, and, most importantly, early testing.

“Early testing. Get it done. Go to you exam. Anytime you have to have something checked out, if you feel something not quite right, go to the doctor… Go to the doctor and get it checked out,” said Evert. However, her fight against the disease started even before her own diagnosis in 2021. She lost someone very close.

Evert’s sister Jeanne died after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer. This alerted Evert, who immediately sent her blood for genetic testing. Tests revealed she too had the pathogenic variant of the BRCA1 gene. Hence, she underwent a hysterectomy in December 2021.

Further, in the interview on Good Morning America, the former tennis player discussed how some people are scared to know about their diagnosis. Evert put up a question saying, “They say I’m afraid to find out. It’s like well, aren’t you afraid not to find out? You know this all happened because my younger sister died from ovarian cancer.“

Chris Evert won against the disease twice. Her strength and courage are admirable. But there was one person who supported her throughout her difficult journey. It was none other than Martina Navratilova.

From rivals to friends: Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova had the same battles!

They faced each other 80 times on the court. 60 of them came in the tournament finals. They met as teenagers in 1973, but a fierce rivalry caused them to grow apart. However, their lives have always been intertwined and even retirement couldn’t change that. Martina Navratilova fought two cancers at once.

“The first one diagnosed was throat cancer, and then when they were looking to see exactly where it was, that’s when they found a lump on my breast,” she shared in 2023. But none of this surprised her because, in 2010 too, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Back then, it caused her immense emotional turmoil. So she knew how her fiercest rival on the court would feel.

When Evert was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, Navratilova got her Cartier necklace out and wore it with a talisman. She hoped her prayers would help Evert heal. Navratilova didn’t remove the necklace for months. Until she had to…

The former tennis player removed the necklace so that she could go for her own treatment when she was diagnosed with two cancers in 2022: throat and breast. They battled through the disease at the same time.

Their friendship throughout their lives waxed and waned, but one thing remained: their constant presence in each other’s lives.