Martina Navratilova is fighting throat and breast cancer but vows to ‘fight with all I’ve got’

Martina Navratilova will not travel to the Australian Open after being given heartbreaking news of a “double whammy” cancer.

Former world number one tennis player Martina Navratilova has announced she has been diagnosed with early stage throat and breast cancer.

In a statement, Navratilova, 66, said: “This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while but I will fight with all I have got.”

Martina Navratilova at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, 2020. Picture: AAP Image/Scott Barbour

Navratilova is the winner of 59 grand slam singles and doubles titles.

She will now not travel to this month’s Australian Open, where she was intending to work as a TV commentator.

In a statement her representative described the prognosis as “good”.

“The cancer type is HPV and this particular type responds really well to treatment,” Martina’s representative said.

The 9-time Wimbledon winner will begin treatment this month. She said she learned of her status after discovering an enlarged lymph node in her neck in November. After undergoing tests, a mass was also found in her breast.

Watch my story to learn how #breastcancer shifted my perception of time. #MyTimeOurTimehttps://t.co/QT13ibKkjM

— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) December 6, 2017

She previously underwent treatment for early-stage breast cancer in 2010 and after radiation treatment, she was cleared of the disease six months later.

Navratilova, who is active on Twitter, has pinned to the top of her account video of her discussing her last bout with cancer.