Chris Evert: Cancer changed my perspective on life
Almost a year after tennis legend Chris Evert announced she had Stage 1C ovarian cancer, the 18-time Grand Slam champion revealed in 2023 that she is cancer-free.
Evert was able to detect her cancer early on thanks to the genetic map left by her sister Jeanne. Doctors discovered Evert had the BRCA-1 variant, which her sister also had. Six chemotherapy treatments later, the American no longer has ovarian cancer.
Ahead of attending the 2023 French Open, the 18-time Grand Slam winner wrote a first-person essay for Eurosport. In this, she discussed how being a former athlete helped her deal with cancer as she drew on her resilience, tenacity, and other positive qualities.
"Being a former athlete helped me to deal with all of this. The discipline, the fighting, being resilient, and positive were qualities that I drew upon from my competitive days. You just know that you have to go through it to get to the other side," Chris Evert said.
"Today I am cancer free. Of course, it could come back, but I have had all of my surgeries, and all of my chemotherapy treatments. I'm pretty much done, still healing, and working on getting stronger," she added.
The American went on to say that cancer changed her perspective on life. The disease taught her that the most important thing is to be at peace with herself while also being of service to others.
"Cancer changed my perspective on life. Tennis has given me so much: I've been a player, I've been a coach, I've been a commentator, I've been a leader in the tennis world, but your health is the most important thing. I’ve realised two things: first, I want to take care of myself the best I can. I've had many stages in my life: tennis and then raising my sons, but now, it's more spiritual," Evert wrote.
"Cancer makes you reflect on your life, and when you're going through something like this, you realise the importance of coming to peace with yourself because, you know what? You are all you have. You also realise how important it is to be of service to others. That makes me happy," she added.
"Martina Navratilova was one of the first people I told about my cancer" - Chris Evert
Chris Evert went on to say that Martina Navratilova, her former arch-rival on the court and close friend off the court, was the first person she told about her cancer. Interestingly, she was also among the first people Navratilova informed when the Czech-born American was herself diagnosed with the same disease.
"Martina Navratilova was one of the first people I told about my cancer, and I think I was one of the first people she told when she was diagnosed with cancer."
The American added that she and Navratilova stayed in touch during their difficult times and frequently visited each other. Evert is excited to see the 66-year-old at the upcoming French Open.
"It's just ironic that both of us experienced that at the same time. We had tears over it and we visited each other. We text each other a lot and we have gotten closer as a result. I'm looking forward to seeing her in Paris as well."