"Sending you hugs" - Martina Navratilova, Ons Jabeur & others extend best wishes to Kate Middleton after Princess of Wales reveals cancer diagnosis
Martina Navratilova, Ons Jabeur, Boris Becker, and other members of the tennis community extended their heartfelt wishes to the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, on learning her cancer diagnosis.
Amid rampant speculation about her health, Kate Middleton set the record straight in a recent video on social media. The 42-year-old revealed that cancer was detected in her body after her abdominal surgery in January.
She shared that she's in the early stages of undergoing "preventative chemotherapy.".The Princess of Wales also requested privacy for herself and her family during this difficult time.
"We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment," she said.
Given Kate Middleton's close connection to tennis through her role as the royal patron of the AELTC, she was flooded with well wishes from the tennis community.
Martina Navratilova, who battled her second cancer diagnosis last year, sent her best wishes to Middleton.
"And we wish her good health and a cancer free body soon!!!" Martina Navratilova posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Billie Jean King also extended her love and support to the Princess of Wales.
"Sending our love, support and best wishes for a full and complete recovery to Catherine, The Princess of Wales," she wrote.
Ons Jabeur, meanwhile, shared a heartwarming picture of her, all smiles with Middleton after last year's Wimbledon final and wished her a speedy recovery.
"Your Royal Highness, thinking of you and sending you hugs of comfort. Wishing you a speedy recovery," she posted.
Boris Becker endorsed Wimbledon's message of support for the 42-year-old.
"Absolutely!!!," he posted.
Mark Petchey, meanwhile, issued a call for kindness in light of the widespread speculation and discussions regarding the Princess of Wales' health on social media.
"Be kind to anyone you don’t know. You have absolutely no idea what is going on in their lives. The lesson won’t be learnt sadly, but after today it should be," he wrote.
Eugenie Bouchard also signaled her sadness at the news of Kate Middleton's cancer battle.
"😭😭🙏🙏," she posted on her Instagram story.
"I admire Martina Navratilova so much; she's a very cool person" - Maria Sakkari
During her campaign at the Indian Wells Open, Maria Sakkari opened up about her admiration for Martina Navratilova's personality while emphasizing that the former World No. 1's remarkable career achievements speak for themselves.
"You know, I admire [Martina Navratilova] so much. She's a very cool person. What she has achieved, I'm not even going to mention, because it's pointless right now. Everyone knows she's amazing," she said during a press conference.
The World No. 9 also conveyed her appreciation for having the 18-time Grand Slam champion around, given her genuine concern for the players and for women's tennis at large.
"I just feel like having [Martina Navratilova] around, and she gave me a couple of tips back in the day. It's nice, because she really cares about us, and cares about women's tennis," she added.
Currently competing at the Miami Open, Maria Sakkari claimed a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Yue Yuan in the second round following a first-round bye.
The Greek will square off with Dayana Yastremska in the third round of the WTA 1000 event.