Martina Navratilova Says She's 'Cancer-free', Feared She 'May Not See Next Christmas'

Martina Navratilova, who was diagnosed with breast and throat cancer, has declared that she is cancer-free in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who was diagnosed with breast and throat cancer, has declared that she is cancer-free in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV. The 66-year-old Czechoslovakia-born naturalised American had in January told Tennis.com about the cancer diagnosis but added they were both treatable. It was not the first time the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion had been diagnosed with cancer -- in 2010 she had breast cancer but was assessed as being clear six months later. "The double whammy is serious, but fixable, and I'm hoping for a favourable outcome," she said. "It's going to stink for a while, but I'll fight with all I have got."

Now, in an interview to be broadcast on Tuesday, she was quoted by The Guardian and Sky Sports as saying: "As far as they know I'm cancer-free."

Navratilova, nine-time winner of Wimbledon singles titles, further revealed her state of mind after her diagnosis.

"I was in a total panic for three days thinking I may not see next Christmas. The bucket list came into my mind of all the things I wanted to do. And this may sound really shallow, but I was like, OK, 'which kick-ass car do I really want to drive if I live like a year?'," she said.

As a player, Navratilova brought a new physical dimension to women's tennis.  Her powerful serve and agility at the net made her the dominant payer of her era as she picked up a total of 59 Major titles -- 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles adding to her 18 singles titles. Her record at Wimbledon is unparalleled, her nine singles titles more than anyone else - Roger Federer won eight men's titles while Serena Williams won the women's title seven times.