Martina Navratilova's Cancer Diagnosis

Former Czech-American professional tennis player Martina Navratilova was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023. She announced that she had been diagnosed with stage 1 breast and throat cancer following a series of significant health events.

Navratilova is a former professional tennis player, known as one of the greatest of all time in the sport. She won 167 top-level singles titles and 177 doubles titles, which currently stand as the all-time records for any player, male or female. Navratilova also won 18 Grand Slam titles and 9 Wimbledon singles titles, another all-time record.

Throughout her career, she rivalled Chris Evert, who was also highly regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. The Evert-Navratilova rivalry was known to be one of the greatest in tennis history, with the pair having competed against each other in 60 tennis finals.

During the Women’s Tennis Association finals in November 2022, Navratilova noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck. After undergoing a biopsy and a series of tests, she was diagnosed with stage 1 throat cancer and early-stage breast cancer. She added that her throat cancer was caused by a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Prior to her diagnosis in 2023, Navratilova had been diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer back in 2010, following which she underwent a lumpectomy.

Navratilova described her cancer as a “double whammy,” but remained positive. She added that her cancer is “serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome”.

Following her diagnosis, Navratilova underwent a series of treatments involving surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In an interview with The Washington Post, she shared that she experienced multiple side effects from her "brutal" treatment, such as weight loss, pain, insomnia and extreme weakness. “The actual treatment was horrific. It really beat me up,” she shared.

Navratilova was eventually declared cancer-free in June 2023. "I got the all clear! Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, proton and radiation magicians, etc.- what a relief,” she shared.

Reflecting on her cancer journey, Navratilova shared that she felt “powerless” when faced with cancer. She shared, “As a top-level athlete, you think you’re going to live to a hundred and that you can rehab it all, and then you realize, ‘I can’t rehab this.’”

Throughout Navratilova’s cancer journey, she had support from her loved ones and the tennis community. Her rival, Chris Evert, was also battling cancer, and the two of them shared their cancer journey, providing support for each other. “Whenever I was really, really down, there was Chris with either a call or a text just thinking of me,” Navratilova recalled.

A new Netflix documentary titled Chris & Martina: The Final Set, released in June 2026, showcases the bond the pair has both on and off the court and how they supported each other through their cancer journeys. Evert was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 while Navratilova was undergoing treatment.

Prior to the release of the documentary, Evert announced that her cancer had relapsed. In response to Evert’s diagnosis, Navratilova shared a post on Instagram, showing her support for her rival and friend. “My friend Chrissie is a champion of champions, and as such she will slay this monster again. We are all pulling for you and know you will come out on the other side cancer-free again,” the post read.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Navratilova has been actively advocating and raising awareness about the disease. Besides using her platform to raise awareness, she has participated in fundraising initiatives aimed at supporting cancer research and patient services. She also visited the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in New York City as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2023, speaking with cancer patients about her journey and inspiring hope and resilience in them.