The 67-year-old tennis broadcaster started undergoing chemo therapy this week.
Tennis hall of famer Chris Evert has announced she's battling ovarian cancer.
The 67-year-old broadcaster made the revelation in a moving piece published Friday on ESPN's website. In the piece, the 18-time Grand Slam winner reveals she was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer last month following a preventive hysterectomy. Evert started chemotherapy treatment this week.
Evert said she feels "very lucky that they caught it early," and doctors expect positive results from the chemo plan.
“I wanted to share my stage 1 ovarian cancer diagnosis and the story behind it as a way to help others,” she said in a statement released on her Twitter account. “I feel very lucky that they caught it early and expect positive results from my chemo plan. Thanks to Chris McKendry for her friendship and for co-writing this very personal story with me. And thanks to all of you for respective my need to focus on my health and treatment plan. You will see me appear from home at times during ESPN’s coverage of the Aussie Open."
In the ESPN story, tennis broadcaster Chris McKendry revealed the text she got from Evert on Dec. 7 that left her in disbelief.
"I can't talk right now, but the pathology report came back today and revealed I have a malignant tumor in my fallopian tube; going in for more surgery next week then chemo ... f--- me...," the text message read.
This is not the first time Evert's had a brush with ovarian cancer. Her younger sister Jeanne, also a former professional tennis player who turned pro at 15, died from ovarian cancer in February 2020 following a near three-year battle.
Evert, once the No. 1-ranked tennis player in the world, was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1995. She's a staple in ESPN's tennis broadcast after joining the network as an analyst in 2011.
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