It was a weekend of scans, results, and a decision that no one wants to make. Chris Evert, 71, one of the greatest tennis players in history, announced on Instagram on Monday that her ovarian cancer has returned — for the third time. She had first been diagnosed in December 2021, fought the disease back twice, and now faces the same battle again. "Ovarian cancer is relentless," she wrote, "but I will stay optimistic and determined in continuing to fight this battle.

" The news means Evert will miss this year's Wimbledon, the tournament she won three times and where she had been due to work as a pundit for ESPN. The American broadcaster confirmed her absence, with executive vice president Mike McQuade saying the network would "certainly miss her" and looks forward to welcoming her back whenever she is ready. Evert says she has already had surgery as the first step in her treatment and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks. The reaction from the tennis world was immediate and warm.

Martina Navratilova, her long-time rival and close friend, did not hold back. "My friend Chrissie is a champion of champions and as such she will slay this monster again," Navratilova wrote. The two women defined an era of women's tennis in the 1970s and 1980s, pushing each other to heights the sport had rarely seen before. Evert's record stands with only Serena Williams, on 23 majors, and Steffi Graf, on 22, above her in the Open era's all-time women's singles rankings.

She won 18 Grand Slam titles across her career and retired in 1989.