Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who was diagnosed with breast and throat cancer, has declared that she is cancer-free in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV. The 66-year-old Czechoslovakia-born naturalised American had in January told Tennis.com about the cancer diagnosis but added they were both treatable. It was not the first time the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion had been diagnosed with cancer — in 2010 she had breast cancer but was assessed as being clear six months later. “The double whammy is serious, but fixable, and I’m hoping for a favourable outcome,” she said. “It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all I have got.”
Now, in an interview to be broadcast on Tuesday, she was quoted by The Guardian and Sky Sports as saying: “As far as they know I’m cancer-free.”
Navratilova, nine-time winner of Wimbledon singles titles, further revealed her state of mind after her diagnosis.
“I was in a total panic for three days thinking I may not see next Christmas. The bucket list came into my mind of all the things I wanted to do. And this may sound really shallow, but I was like, OK, ‘which kick-ass car do I really want to drive if I live like a year?’,” she said.
As a player, Navratilova brought a new physical dimension to women’s tennis. Her powerful serve and agility at the net made her the dominant payer of her era as she picked up a total of 59 Major titles — 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles adding to her 18 singles titles. Her record at Wimbledon is unparalleled, her nine singles titles more than anyone else – Roger Federer won eight men’s titles while Serena Williams won the women’s title seven times.
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She also won seven women’s doubles titles at Wimbledon as well as four mixed doubles, the last of which came in 2003 when she was 46, making it 20 titles at the All England Club. Since her retirement she has become one of the wisest and most sought-after pundits on the game.
Away from the courts, she has become an ardent defender of the LGBT cause. In 2014, she married her longtime partner Julia Lemigova and they live in Miami with their two daughters.
With AFP inputs
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