Chris Evert will miss Wimbledon this year due to health issues.
The Hall of Fame tennis player said that her ovarian cancer returned and that the treatment will not allow her to attend.
She was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021, and it returned two years later, The Associated Press reported.
Evert, in a social media post, said she had surgery and will begin chemotherapy in the next few weeks.
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) June 25, 2026
Evert, while no longer competing, is an analyst for ESPN.
The cable network’s executive vice president of production, Mike McQuade, released a statement, which read, “Our thoughts are with our ESPN tennis colleague Chris Evert as she deals with this personal health issue. We will certainly miss her at Wimbledon and wish her all the best. We look forward to having her back with us whenever she feels ready to return.”
She is an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, according to the AP. Evert started playing the game at the age of 5 under her coach and father, Jimmy Evert, the International Tennis Hall of Fame said.
She was the first player, male or female, to win 1,000 singles matches and had the second most career matches with 1,309, only behind Martina Navratilova’s 1,442. Her 18 major championships are tied for fifth best in women’s tennis.
Other career highlights from the Hall of Fame:
- 189 career titles
- 88.52% overall win percentage
- 1,426-185 overall record
- 1,309-146 singles record
- 117-39 doubles record
- World No. 1 in 1975
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