17 January 2023 , 11:50
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Tennis legend Martina Navratilova says she is "ready to go" after beginning treatment for stage-one throat and breast cancer.
The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion announced she had been diagnosed with the two forms of cancer earlier this month after doctors discovered a swollen lymph node in her neck in November.
And while Navratilova said the diagnosis was "serious", she vowed to "fight with all I have got". Navratilova went through a similar battle 13 years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but was ultimately given the all-clear after the tumour was surgically removed and she underwent radiation therapy.
In an appearance on the Tennis Channel, Navratilova revealed she has undergone two surgeries and four biopsies and is ready for the next stage of treatment, which involves chemotherapy and more radiation therapy.
"I'm ready to go," she said. "Ready to get on with the treatment. I've had two surgeries and four biopsies and radiation and chemo, I'm waiting.
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"But I'm ready to go. And I'm ready to go in other ways as well. Once I get to play again, I've got my squeezy thingy here.
"I just found these Wimbledon resistance bands in my grocery bag – I don't know how they got there. And I have my water bottle as usual. So, I'm ready to go."
Navratilova was set to travel to Melbourne to work as a pundit for the Tennis Channel during the Australian Open, but her diagnosis means she will instead make occasional remote appearances from her home in Miami.
During her playing career, Navratilova became the most successful female player in the Open era as she won a total of 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles.