(Reuters) – Former world number six Carla Suarez Navarro said on Tuesday she has been diagnosed with early stage Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer, and will need to go through six months of chemotherapy.
The 31-year-old Spaniard, in a video posted on her Twitter account, said she received her diagnosis a few days ago.
“I’m fine and calm at the moment, willing to face whatever comes,” Suarez Navarro said in the video. “See you soon.”
Last week, Suarez Navarro withdrew from the U.S. Open, which began in New York on Monday, for health reasons.
Along with her video, Suarez Navarro wrote: “Patience and self-belief guided me through my career. Not the easiest rival to deal with. I’ll need my truly best.”
In a separate statement, Suarez-Navarro said doctors told her she had a small, curable lymphoma that was detected at an early stage.
A number of fellow tennis players sent their best wishes to Suarez Navarro after learning of her diagnosis.
“Carlita.. If I know somebody who can deal with this, it’s you!,” twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who won her opening U.S. Open match on Monday, tweeted. “You are a fighter and great champion with lots of positivity. Sending you strength and hugs.”
“Hi Carla, want to wish you nothing but strength and courage to take on this battle,” four-times Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters tweeted ahead of her first round match at the U.S. Open. “Thinking of you and sending lots of positive energy.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
