Martina Navratilova diagnosed with throat, breast cancer

Say a prayer for former Fort Worth resident Martina Navratilova.

The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion has been diagnosed with two types of cancer. She was initially diagnosed when she was in Fort Worth and attending the WTA Finals in November.

As she told Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel she was happy to return to Fort Worth, where she lived in the 1980s during her climb to the top of the professional tennis world.

She said Monday that she has been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer.

In a statement released by her representative, Navratilova said her prognosis is good and she will start treatment this month.

“This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favorable outcome,” the 66-year-old Navratilova said. “It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all have I got.”

She said she noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck while attending the season-ending event at Dickies Arena. A biopsy showed early stage throat cancer. While Navratilova was undergoing tests on her throat, she said, the unrelated breast cancer was discovered.

Navratilova was diagnosed with a noninvasive form of breast cancer in 2010 and had a lumpectomy.

She won 59 Grand Slam titles overall, including 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. The last was a mixed doubles championship with Bob Bryan at the 2006 U.S. Open, a month shy of her 50th birthday.

Navratilova originally retired in 1994, after a record 167 singles titles and 331 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She returned to the tour to play doubles in 2000 and occasionally competed in singles, too.

During the U.S. Open in 1975, Martina announced her intentions to defect to the United States.

The next year, in 1976, she moved to Dallas. “I lived in Fort Worth from 1984 to ‘88, then I moved to Colorado and I lived in Aspen for 20 years; that’s the longest I’ve lived anywhere,” she said. “But between Dallas and Fort Worth, (she lived in DFW) for 10 or 11 years. “I’m a Texan at heart, as well. Texas was very good to me when I defected ... The people in Texas really embraced me so I really appreciated that then and still do now.”

Navratilova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. She has worked as a TV analyst in recent years.

To compile this story, Star-Telegram sports editor Dave Ammenheuser used archive information and a story from The Associated Press.