Evert's career debut was at the 1971 US Open when she was just 16 years old. She went on to win 18 Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam doubles titles in her career.
Tennis legend Chris Evert has announced that she has stage 1 ovarian cancer. She tweeted out the news along with a link to an ESPN article where she shared information about her diagnosis.
She also shared a statement with her fans.
"I wanted to share my stage 1 ovarian cancer diagnosis and the story behind it as a way to help others," she wrote. She stressed that they caught it every and she expects positive results from chemotherapy.
"Thank you to all of you for respecting my need to focus on my health and treatment plan. You will see me appear from home at times during ESPN's coverage of the Aussie Open."
Chris will begin her first of six rounds of chemotherapy this week, according to ESPN writer Chris McKendry. She notes that cancer has not been detected anywhere else in Evert's body, and the cancer was discovered following a preventative hysterectomy.
Chris's sister Jeannie Evert Dubin, also a professional tennis player, battled ovarian cancer in 2017 and died in February of 2020 at 62 years old.
It was late-stage and had spread through her body, according to ESPN.
And although Chris says watching her sister in treatment was devastating and traumatizing, she will lean on her sister's memory to get through her own difficult time.
"When I go into chemo, she is my inspiration," Evert said. "I'll be thinking of her. And she'll get me through it."
Evert's career debut was at the 1971 US Open. She was just 16 years old.
She went on to win 18 Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam doubles titles in her career, CNN wrote.
During her career, she also became the first female athlete to earn $1 million in prize money, she was ranked No. 1 in the world for seven years, and she was the first female athlete to host "Saturday Night Live."
Now, Chris Evert is a commentator and analyst for ESPN, and she operates the Evert Tennis Academy.
