Chris Evert announced Thursday that her ovarian cancer has returned, and that she will not commentate at Wimbledon this year as a result. She said she learned of the recurrence over the weekend after undergoing CT and PET scans.
"I have always believed in being open and honest about my health journey," Evert wrote in a statement shared on Instagram and X. "This past weekend, after undergoing CT and PET scans, I learned that my ovarian cancer has returned. I have already undergone surgery as the first step in my treatment and recovery, and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks."
Evert, a tennis analyst for ESPN, had been scheduled to work at Wimbledon, which runs from June 29 to July 12 in London. She said she would step back from professional commitments for the next several months to focus on her health.
"Ovarian cancer is relentless, but I will stay optimistic and determined in continuing to fight this battle," she wrote. "I am deeply grateful to my medical team, my family, friends, and everyone who has reached out with kindness and encouragement. I look forward to seeing everyone again soon."
According to ABC News, Evert was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2022 and announced the following year that she was cancer-free. She received a second diagnosis less than a year later, and revealed she was cancer-free again in July 2024. This marks the third time the disease has returned.
Evert's playing career produced 18 Grand Slam titles. She held the world No. 1 ranking for 260 weeks, which the Women's Tennis Association lists as the fourth-longest run all-time, behind Steffi Graf at 377 weeks, Martina Navratilova at 332 weeks, and Serena Williams at 319 weeks. She made her major tournament debut at 16 at the 1971 U.S. Open, where she became the youngest semifinalist in the tournament's history before losing to eventual champion Billie Jean King.
Evert retired from professional tennis in 1989 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.
She recently appeared on Good Morning America alongside Navratilova, who was diagnosed with cancer twice, in 2010 and 2023, and is now cancer-free. Evert said their shared health battles had "brought our relationship, our friendship, to another level because of the support and the care that we had for each other."
No date has been announced for Evert's return to broadcasting.
