Former tennis star Chris Evert
She has to undergo cancer treatment again
Chris Evert
© imago images/ZUMA Wire
Former US tennis player Chris Evert has made her second cancer diagnosis public. The 68-year-old has started chemotherapy.
Chris Evert (68) last Friday in a statement announced that she had cancer again. “Since I was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, I have been very open about my experiences. I wanted to give you all an update. My cancer is back,” she explains.
She can’t go to the Australian Open
It was a diagnosis she never wanted to hear, “but I’m once again glad that it was recognized early,” says Evert, who led the world rankings for a long time before ending her active career in 1989. The ex-tennis star was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January 2022. “The doctors found cancer cells in the same pelvic region,” Evert’s statement said. “All the cells were removed and I started more chemotherapy.”
She won’t be able to be with her colleagues “when ESPN returns to the Australian Open in Melbourne next month,” she explains, emphasizing: “But I will be ready for the rest of the Grand Slam season!” She also makes an appeal to the public: “I would like to encourage everyone to know their family history and advocate for themselves. Early detection saves lives. Be grateful for your health this Christmas season.”
Evert’s sister Jeanne Evert (1957-2020), also a well-known tennis player, died in February 2020 after suffering from ovarian cancer. In January 2023, Chris Evert announced that she had been cured around a year after announcing her own diagnosis.