Tennis icon Chris Evert announces cancer diagnosis ‘to help others’
Tennis icon Chris Evert is opening up to help other people.
The 18-time Grand Slam singles champ, 67, on Friday took to Twitter to announce she had been diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer.
Evert wanted to share her diagnosis “and the story behind it as a way to help others,” read the statement she shared, along with a link to an ESPN article about her experience.
Evert, who also boasts three Grand Slam double titles, said that she feels “very lucky that they caught it early and expect positive results from my chemo plan.”
In early December, after a preventive hysterectomy, Evert was notified she had a malignant tumor in her fallopian tube, which would require two surgeries and chemotherapy — which she started this week, according to the ESPN story. Evert’s sister and former pro tennis player Jeanne Evert Dubin died of ovarian cancer in February 2020. She was 62.
The odds are over 90% in Evert’s favor after chemotherapy.
The cancer was not found to have spread, though had doctors discovered it three or so months later, it likely would have been Stage 3 or 4 and Evert would have risked it reaching the abdomen, said her surgeon, Dr. Joel Cardenas.
Because the ovarian cancer is “virtually impossible to detect” early, as there aren’t any discernible symptoms, Evert considers herself “so lucky.”
When she undergoes chemotherapy, Evert says her late sister will be her inspiration.
“I’ll be thinking of her,” she said. “And she’ll get me through it.”
Evert’s hysterectomy followed genetic testing — suggested for the family because Jeanne had a pathogenic BRCA1 gene. So did Evert, who “didn’t feel anything different” prior to her diagnosis.
“We need to have these conversations,” she said. “Any information is power. ... Know your family’s history. Have total awareness of your body, follow your gut and be aware of changes. Don’t try to be a crusader and think this will pass.”
In her Twitter statement, Evert thanked ESPN journalist Chris McKendry for writing the article with her.
“And thanks to all of you for respecting my need to focus on my health and treatment plan,” Evert, now a commentator for the sport, continued. “You will see me appear from home at times during ESPN’s coverage of the Aussie Open.”
Evert made headlines early last year after her Australian Open commentary regarding Serena Williams’ match against Naomi Osaka. Fans at the time believed Evert’s focus on the “drama” rather than Williams’ skill was rooted more in jealousy that the younger tennis star had tied with Evert by making 54th quarterfinals in a major, and surpassed other milestones of the former player.
