Martina Navratilova was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer

NEW YORK (AP) — Tennis great Martina Navratilova said Monday she had been diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer.

In a statement released by her representative, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame said her prognosis was good and she would begin treatment this month.

“This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I hope for a favorable outcome,” said 66-year-old Navratilova. “It will stink for a while but I will fight with everything I have.”

She said she noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck while attending the WTA season finale in Fort Worth, Texas in November, and a biopsy showed early-stage throat cancer. As Navratilova was having tests on her throat, she said, unrelated breast cancer was discovered.

Navratilova was diagnosed with non-invasive breast cancer in 2010 and underwent a lumpectomy.

She has won 59 Grand Slam titles in total, including 31 in women’s doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. The last was a mixed doubles championship with Bob Bryan at the 2006 US Open, a month before his 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 perform doubles in 2000 and also occasionally competed in singles.

Navratilova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. She has worked as a television analyst for the past few years.

The statement on Monday said Navratilova will not be a regular part of Tennis Channel’s Australian Open coverage later this month “but hopes to be able to participate from time to time” via video conference.

AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports