Overview
- Chris Evert, 71, announced on Thursday that CT and PET scans prompted exploratory surgery this past weekend and confirmed a third recurrence of BRCA-related ovarian cancer.
- Evert said she has already had surgery and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks, so she will not attend Wimbledon and will pause other professional duties to concentrate on recovery.
- ESPN and figures across the tennis community, including longtime rival-turned-friend Martina Navratilova, issued public messages of support following Evert’s social-media statement.
- Evert’s cancer journey traces to a BRCA gene variant discovered after her sister Jeanne’s death in 2020, leading to preventive surgery in 2021, a double mastectomy in 2022, and earlier recurrences in 2023 and remission in 2024.
- The announcement coincides with the release of the Netflix documentary Chris & Martina: The Final Set, which documents Evert’s career and past treatment and is likely to amplify public attention to genetic testing and early detection.