June 25 (Reuters) - Tennis great Chris Evert will be absent from this year's Wimbledon championships as she is undergoing treatment following a recurrence of ovarian cancer.
“I have already undergone surgery as the first step in my treatment and recovery, and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks," three-times Wimbledon champion Evert, who now commentates on the sport, said on Thursday in a statement on X.
“Because of this, I will not be attending Wimbledon this year, and I will step back from my professional commitments over the next few months to focus on my health.
“Ovarian cancer is relentless, but I will stay optimistic and determined in continuing to fight this battle."
The 71-year-old, an 18-times Grand Slam singles champion, was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021. She suffered a recurrence in 2023 before saying she was cancer-free again in 2024.
Her long-running rivalry and close friendship with Martina Navratilova — including their shared battles with cancer — will be featured in the Netflix documentary, "Chris and Martina: The Final Set", due for release on June 26.
This year’s Wimbledon runs from June 29 to July 12.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
