The tennis legend, 62, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. In a rare interview about her journey with the disease, Martina Navratilova said the diagnosis was like a “bombshell”. “I call it me personal 9/11,” she told The Telegraph. “I was very lucky in that, at the end, it was very flexible, but at first you don’t know that. In that first moment you think your life expectancy has gone to - well, you don’t know what. So it was a bombshell.”
The 18-time Grand Slam title winner went on to speak out about how her life as a sportswoman affected her perspective on her cancer.
“I’d depended on my body for my whole life,” she explained. “I’d treated it well and it had treated me well in return, so the diagnosis felt like a betrayal of sorts.
“And then there’s the loss of control over what’s going to happen,” she added.
“In my experience you have an injury, you take care of it, you get better; or you have surgery, the doctors their job and you get better - but this was totally out of my hands.
“So, it was terrifying.”
Martina underwent a lumpectomy and radiationtherapy, which successfully left her clear of cancer six months after her diagnosis.
Martina Navratilova: All New Monty star opened up on her breast cancer journey (Image: WENN)
Martina Navratilova: All New Monty star and tennis legend was diagnosed
