Chris Evert, the former world No. 1 and winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, announced on 25 June that her ovarian cancer has recurred for a second time. The American, who was first diagnosed in December 2021 and declared cancer-free in early 2023 before a first recurrence later that year, revealed that CT and PET scans last weekend confirmed the disease’s return. She has already undergone surgery as an initial step and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks, a treatment course that will keep her away from this year’s Wimbledon championships, which start on 29 June.

The recurrence follows a pattern familiar to ovarian cancer specialists: the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance notes that approximately 70% of patients experience a return of the disease. Evert carries a BRCA gene mutation, the same genetic marker that led to her sister Jeanne’s death from ovarian cancer in 2020. After that loss, Evert underwent a preventive hysterectomy in 2022, during which the malignancy was first detected at an early stage. Her openness about the genetic roadmap left by her sister and the role of scientific advances in early detection has been a consistent feature of her public health narrative.

Evert’s announcement immediately alters the broadcast landscape for the London grass-court major, where she has been a fixture as a commentator for the US sports network ESPN. Her withdrawal also sidelines a prominent voice just as a Netflix documentary, “Chris and Martina: The Final Set”, is set for release on 26 June. The film chronicles the decades-long rivalry and friendship between Evert and Martina Navratilova, and their parallel cancer battles. Navratilova, herself a survivor of breast and throat cancers, responded to the news by calling Evert “a champion of champions” who will “slay this monster again”.

The next factual milestone is the commencement of Evert’s chemotherapy regimen, which she said will begin within weeks. Her treatment will be closely watched by a global tennis community that has seen both her and Navratilova navigate multiple cancer diagnoses with public candour. The documentary’s release, now coinciding with this latest recurrence, will likely refocus attention on the long-term challenges of living with a disease that, as Evert described it, is “relentless”.