“This is, of course, a diagnosis that I never wanted to receive, but I again feel fortunate that it was detected early,” says Evert in the statement.
In January of last year, the 68-year-old announced that she had suffered from ovarian cancer, the same disease that her younger sister died of in 2020, aged 62.
The treatment means that Evert, who after his career worked as an expert commentator on television, will not be able to participate in ESPN’s broadcasts from the Australian Open.
Dominated in the 70s
According to the statement, however, she will then “be ready for the rest of the Grand Slam season!”
Evert dominated tennis in the 70s and won a total of 157 titles on the women’s tour, including 18 grand slam victories, seven of which were in the French Championships in Paris. Her main competitor was Martina Navratilova and they both had several classic meetings in the years 1973–1988.