After 2022 and 2023, Chris Evert must undergo treatment once again. The 71-year-old has already had surgery.
Tennis icon Chris Evert is battling cancer once again. The 71-year-old announced on Thursday via X that her ovarian cancer had returned. She has already undergone surgery, is currently recovering, and will begin another round of chemotherapy afterward.
“I will therefore not be attending Wimbledon this year and will be taking a break from my professional commitments over the next few months to focus on my health,” Evert wrote: “Ovarian cancer is relentless, but I will remain optimistic and continue to fight this battle.”
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) June 25, 2026
Evert, who won at least one Grand Slam tournament every year between 1974 and 1986 and has a total of 18 major titles to her name, had already been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January 2022. In late 2023, Evert had to undergo treatment again. Evert’s younger sister, Jeanne Evert Dubin, died in February 2020 at the age of 62 from complications of the disease.
Evert was a dominant figure in women’s tennis in the 1970s; she won singles titles and reached at least the semifinals in 52 of the 56 Grand Slam tournaments in which she competed. Her rivalry with Martina Navratilova, which spanned from 1973 to 1988 and included 14 Grand Slam finals, shaped the sport.
