LONDON — Martina Navratilova could not hold back the tears. The devastating news of cancer’s return in her close friend Chris Evert hit her hard.
“I don’t pray, but I am going to pray for Chris,” said the former world No. 1, her voice breaking, at the Media Theatre of the All England Club during the official screening of the Netflix documentary Chris & Martina: The Final Set.
“This was supposed to be a celebration… Chris had to cancel and she told me: ‘You have to be there, go.’ I am here for her,” Navratilova said.
On Thursday, Evert announced through her social media that her ovarian cancer had returned for the third time. “I have already had surgery as the first step in my treatment and recovery, and I will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks. That is why I will not be at Wimbledon this year and will be stepping back from my professional commitments over the next few months to focus on my health,” she published.
Rebecca Gitlitz, the documentary’s director, read out the message Evert had asked her to deliver at the start of the event. The film traces a rivalry that produced 80 encounters during the 1970s and 80s, and documents how the two supported each other through their battles with cancer in latest years.
“The fact that I have cancer magnifies the message of this documentary: Cancer strips you raw, but it leaves you with what matters most”,” Evert wrote. It is precisely what the film shows: a friendship with its ups and downs, but one that grew stronger than ever during the hardest of times.
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“Go to Wimbledon for me, Martina. We have been together through our careers, through the documentary and through cancer,” were Evert’s words to her iconic rival.
Navratilova overcame breast and throat cancer in 2024. Around that time, the disease had also gone into remission for the seven-time Roland Garros champion. The final section of the documentary captures that moment — the most moving of the afternoon at Wimbledon — during which Navratilova was visibly affected.
When the screening ended, the Czech-born player stood up and said: “Third time’s the charm — because Chrissy is a champion, and she will do it again. She will beat this horrible disease.”
