Tennis legend Chris Evert reveals ovarian cancer has returned for the third time

Tennis legend Chris Evert revealed that her ovarian cancer has returned for a third time.

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Evert, 71, said she learned of the recurrence this past weekend after undergoing CT and PET scans.

“I have already undergone surgery as the first step in my treatment and recovery, and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks,” she said in an Instagram post Thursday .

The 18-time Grand Slam champion said she was stepping back from her ESPN Wimbledon coverage and other professional commitments to focus on her health.

Evert was diagnosed with ovarian cancer twice before, in 2021 and 2023, and beat it both times. Her sister Jeanne Evert Dubin died from ovarian cancer in 2020.

In her post Thursday, Evert called the disease “relentless” but said she will remain optimistic.

“I am deeply grateful to my medical team, my family, friends, and everyone who has reached out with kindness and encouragement,” she wrote. “I look forward to seeing everyone again soon.”

Her announcement came one day before the release of the Netflix documentary, “Chris & Martina: The Final Set,” which follows the careers of Evert and fellow tennis legend Martina Navratilova, as well as their battles with cancer.

Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, reached No. 1 in the Women’s Tennis Association, or WTA, rankings, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995. She retired in September 1989.

“My friend Chrissie is a champion of champions and as such she will slay this monster again,” Navratilova wrote on Instagram.

Navratilova was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer in 2023 and was later declared cancer-free .

“We are all pulling for you, and know you will come out on the other side cancer free again- lots of love, m,” she wrote to Evert.