2, Chris Evert. It was at this point that Navratilova began working with Nancy Lieberman to improve her fitness and toughen her mental approach to better compete with Evert and fulfill her true potential. US$21,626,089 15th in all-time rankings. "She exploded the barrier by putting it on the table. In 1979 she again won the Wimbledon womens singles as well as the womens doubles and was ranked the undisputed top player. Navratilova won her first professional singles title in Orlando, Florida in 1974 at the age of 17. Since 1984, it was the only tournament on the womens tour where the final was played under a best-to-five sets format. Navratilova said that the remarks referred to what she perceived as a trend of centralization of government power and a loss of personal freedom. Salary in 2022. The tumor was removed surgically, and Navratilova underwent a brief course of radiation therapy. Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with two forms of cancer. She won only three major singles titles before she was 25, an age when many The Associated Press declared her Female Athlete of the Year in 1983 and 1984. , start time: 1983-01-01T00:00:00Z From 1985 through 1987, Navratilova reached the women's singles final at all 11 major tournaments held during those three years, winning six of them. She won 167 top-level singles titles and 177 doubles titles, both the Open Era records. [7][8] She became a US citizen in 1981. The former world No 1 had reached the final of the tournament no less than 14 times, including 10 in a row, winning a record eight titles in singles. Navratilova originally retired in 1994, after a record 167 singles titles and 331 weeks at No. The two players knew each others games quite well, as they had already faced each other 20 times, with Navratilova leading their head-to-head 15-5. Martina Navratilova Wiki Biography. After adopting basketball player Nancy Lieberman's exercise plan and using Yonex isometric midsize graphite-fiberglass composite racquets, Navratilova became the most dominant player in women's tennis. . This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 13:09. Navratilova was a world no.1 player for a total of 332 weeks in singles and made a record of 237 weeks in doubles. [116], On August 2, 2013, Navratilova was among the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. (W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (WL) winloss record. [88], Navratilova participated in a lawsuit against Amendment 2, a successful 1992 ballot proposition in Colorado designed to prevent sexual orientation from being a protected class.[89]. Navratilova was born on October 18, 1956 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her parents divorced when she was only three and her mother, who was an accomplished tennis player and all-around athlete,. Its first edition was held in Boca Raton, Florida, and the tournament moved to Los Angeles and Oakland before eventually settling down in New York in 1979. AP Female Athlete of the Year 1983 and 1984, Navratilova is considered one of the best female tennis players of all time and in 2005, Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005, directly over Steffi Graf. (Navratilova was ranked the world No. Martina Navratilova, American-Czech tennis player Birth Place: Prague, Hlavn msto Praha Country: United States Birthday: October 18, 1956 Age : 66 years old Birth Sign : There was no real favourite in this match as Navratilova had proven that she was still competitive at the highest level by reaching the Wimbledon final in July, while Sabatini had reached the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows a couple of months earlier. She had won 167 singles titles. The Czech-born player had won a total of 18 Grand Slam titles in singles, including a record of nine Wimbledon crowns, six of them having been conquered successively between 1982 and 1987. . The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. You know, if you don't like it here, this a country that gave you so much, gave you the freedom to do what you want. The 49-year-old, who is twice the age of most of the women in her sport and three times older than some, brought the curtain down on her tennis life by winning the mixed doubles at the US Open yesterday to extend her portfolio of major titles to 59. [61], From 1984 to 1991, Navratilova had a long-term relationship with Judy Nelson, whom she met at a tournament in Fort Worth in 1982 (at the time Nelson was married with two children). In 1989, Graf and Navratilova met in the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open, with Graf winning both encounters 61 in the third set. Martina became a one-name celebrity, like Michael and Reggie, like Magic and O.J. She retired from full-time singles competition in 1994 at age 37. . [66][67], According to the New York Times' Jane E. Brody, in September 1982, an acute attack of toxoplasmosis "contributed to Martina Navratilova's defeat during the United States Open tennis tournament", in which No. In that year she went into exile in the United States because of the Czech governments attempts to limit her tennis career. She returned to the tour to play doubles in 2000 and occasionally competed in . And people were taken back. She has denounced the Soviet Union's control over Czechoslovakia, maintaining that she refuses to speak Russian to this day because of the Soviet Union's former hegemony over Eastern Europe. Beginning with the 1983 Wimbledon title, she won six consecutive Grand Slam womens singles titles. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. She earned a record $20,344,061. By partnering Leander Paes to win the mixed doubles at the 2003 Australian Open, she would complete the Boxed Grand Slam and become the oldest Grand Slam champion of all time, at the age of 46. 1 in the WTA rankings. But Navratilova was adamant that this retirement was for good. [3][4] Alongside Chris Evert, her greatest rival, Navratilova dominated women's tennis in the 1970s and 1980s. But the 66-year-old now says she's once again confronted with a major . 1 ranked player, 16 consecutive years with winning percentage 80%+, 12 titles at a single tournament (Chicago), 11+ titles at two different tournaments (Chicago, Eastbourne), 14 finals at two different tournaments (Chicago, WTA Finals), 11+ finals at seven different tournaments. In 1985, Navratilova played in what many consider to be perhaps the best woman's match of all time, the French Open final against Chris Evert. Navratilova's 59 majors are made up of 18 singles titles, 31 women's doubles victories, and 10 pieces of silverware from the mixed doubles events. Soon after the match, a ceremony was held to celebrate Navratilovas career. But it was a one-way ticket, so I lost all that time with my family that I could never get back, and it was brutal," she said. It was only appropriate that a career which had accumulated so many grand slam titles finished with one more, and Navratilova and fellow American Bob Bryan achieved a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Kveta Peschke and Martin Damm, a Czech pairing. Although perhaps most renowned for her mastery of fast low-bouncing grass, her best early showing at majors was on the red clay at the French Open, where she would go on to reach the final six times. Navratilova retired from singles play after the 1994 season. Opens, three French and two Australian. [123] In February 2012 Navratilova was announced as a cast member on the 14th season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. , country for sport: United States of America, Tennis Player Her career totals included 59 Grand Slam titles: 18 singles, 31 doubles, and 10 mixed doubles. In April 1981, Evert defeated Navratilova in the finals of the Women's Tennis Association championships, held on clay at Amelia Island, 60, 60. 1 in 1982 and held it, for the most part, until the summer of '87. She was born on October 18, 1956 in Prague, Hlavn msto Praha as Martina ubertov. The second time you say goodbye, the applause isn't so loud. Navratilova reached all four Grand Slam finals in 1987, winning two of them (she lost the Australian Open to Hana Mandlkov). was going to be her swansong. Martina Navratilova announced she was diagnosed with two types of cancer. Her overall record in 67 major singles events was 30649 (12014 at Wimbledon, 8917 at the US Open, 5111 at the French Open, and 467 at the Australian Open). Under Review. In 1986 at Filderstadt, West Germany, she became the second player in modern tennis to win 1,000 matches. But she continued to compete in doubles well into the 2000s, winning her 59th and final title in the 2006 U.S. Open, just about a month before she turned 50. On indoor courts, however, Navratilova had a decisive 2114 lead. Taryn 3y ago LIVE Points 129 Rating She retired from professional tennis in 2006 at age 50 Amazon Customer 1y ago LIVE Points 58 Rating Want to help make Alexa smarter? Only Margaret Smith Court Martina Navratilova, born in 1956 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, was, according to Billie Jean King, the greatest singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player who ever lived. After losing to Evert in the semifinals of the 1975 U.S. Open in Queens, the 18-year-old Navratilova crossed the East River to the offices of the Immigration and Naturalizations Service in Manhattan. In 2006, a few weeks shy of her 50th birthday, Navratilova would claim the mixed doubles title at the US Open, partnering Bob Bryan, and finish her career on a high. She is a retired professional tennis player and coach, best known for being one of the greatest female tennis players ever, as she held the World No. In 2000, Navratilova returned to the tour to mostly play doubles events, while rarely also playing singles. She is from . Yet, from the first few games, the Argentine took a hold on the match, firing 37 winners and mixing sharp passing shots with delightful lobs to neutralize Navratilovas serve-and-volley game. Navratilova was the runner-up at two major singles tournaments in 1975; the Australian Open (won by Goolagong) and the French Open (won by Chris Evert in three sets). This came after Navratilova discovered a swelled lymph node on her neck, leading her to take medical tests. 2 ranking behind Graf for the third straight year. [7] [8] She became a US citizen in 1981. She has worked as a TV analyst in recent years. In 2000, she was the recipient of National Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian activist/lobbying group.[92]. Early Life And that was one of the reasons why her goodbye did not have the same emotional resonance as the retirement of another American great during this year's US Open, a certain Andre Agassi. The 66-year-old discovered an enlarged lymph node in her neck back in November. And so we'll just keep adapting and try to find a happy way forward. , Twitter user numeric ID: 506429053. She rejects accusations of transphobia, and says she deplores "a growing tendency among transgender activists to denounce anyone who argues against them and to label them all as 'transphobes. A left-handed player who ranked number one in Czechoslovakia from 1972 to 1975, she won international notice when she led her team to victory in the 1975 Federation Cup. But Navratilova's honesty cost her millions in endorsement opportunities because of corporate homophobia. [22] This included a run of 13 consecutive victories over her closest rival and world-ranked No. Including doubles, Navratilova won almost three times as many titles as Graf with a record doubles/mixed/singles combined total of 344 titles to Graf's 118. 2 spot. When Navratilova was four, she was hitting a tennis ball off a concrete wall and started to play tennis regularly at age seven. Navratilova's 332 weeks spent ranked as the world's top female player is more than all but Steffi Graff. Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 major singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles, and 10 major mixed doubles titles, for a combined total of 59 major titles, the most in the Open Era. Judge me for who I am.". Connors won 75, 62. , start time: 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z, 1442219 When I see something that I don't like, I'm going to speak out because you can do that here. In 1985, Navratilova released an autobiography, co-written with The New York Times sports columnist George Vecsey, titled Martina in the U.S. and Being Myself in the rest of the world. What made this particular appearance special was that Navratilova, who now competed under the American flag, had already announced that 1994 was going to be her final year on the tour, which meant that she was competing there for the last time. I dont know whether I should cry or laugh. [94][95], Navratilova is critical of allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. 1 ranking at the end of the year for the first time. [125] Navratilova currently has a recurring role portraying Brigitte, a horse trainer who is also the lover of Georgina (Gwyneth Paltrow), the mother of the titular character Payton Hobart Ben Platt, on the Ryan Murphy produced Netflix series, The Politician. Martina Navratilova was adamant that this retirement was for good. ", "Navratilova on Pride Month: 'I would urge people to just be themselves', "Martina: Returning to Homeland, It Hits Her That She Now Is Truly an American", "Martina enjoying life in U.S. but homesick", "ESPN Classic Navratilova owned Wimbledon's Center Court", "Martina Navratilova: 10 things you need to know about the tennis legend", "Jumping Into Retirement: Martina Navratilova Will Go Out at the End of the Year Still Near the Top of the Hill, but It Has Been Quite a Climb", Navratilova Pushed To Limit Before Ousting Upstart Graf, Lendl, Navratilova cemented No. Two years later, she defected. 1 player said in 2006 that Navratilova is the greatest singles doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived. One of the first sports superstars to acknowledge publicly that she was a lesbian, Navratilova also was active in the gay rights movement. Navratilovas long-time sponsor, Virginia Slims, gave her a Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a farewell present. Her defection from communist Czechoslovakia loomed large in her career and personal story. Post that, the Argentine remained a solid top 10 player, reaching the semi-finals in Grand Slam tournaments no less than seven times, the last of which came at the 1994 US Open (lost to Arantxa Sanchez, 6-1, 7-6). They teamed again in 1976 to win the Wimbledon women's doubles title over Billie Jean King and Bette Stove. We use cookies to optimize our website and to measure our audience. She won only three major singles titles before she was 25, an age when many women players are ready to retire. ", Born Martina Subertova on Oct. 18, 1956, in Prague, her parents divorced when she was three. With all due respect to my homeland, things never really felt right until the day I got off the plane in Florida.". Julia Lemigova surprised her wife Martina Navratilova with a brand-new look! On this day in 1994, Martina Navratilova played her final match on the WTA Tour before making a doubles comeback in 2000. The venue of the event was the famous Madison Square Garden, where 18,000 spectators could be hosted. The goal of the group is protecting girls and women in competitive sports categories, while, wherever possible, crafting accommodations for trans athletes into sport.[104][105]. The 1980s also marked the height of her friendly rivalry with Chris Evert. In the discussion that followed, Chung stated: Can I be honest with you? y November 14, 1994: The day Martina Navratilova retired from the Tour Each day, Tennis Majors takes you back to an important moment in tennis history. This is why I speak out. Navratilova won both Wimbledon and the French Open in 1982. She reached the US Open final five consecutive times from 1983 through 1987 and appeared in the French Open final five out of six years from 1982 through 1987.[24]. "This was the last match. That year, she lost to Graf in the semi-finals at both the Australian and the US Open, but in 1990 she eventually beat the German (6-2, 7-6) to claim her first and only Grand Slam title at the US Open. [9] She stated she has not renounced her U.S. citizenship nor does she plan to do so, and that reclaiming Czech nationality was not politically motivated. During the show, Chung quoted a German newspaper which quoted Navratilova as saying: The most absurd part of my escape from the unjust system is that I have exchanged one system that suppresses free opinion for another. In 2004, she would receive a controversial wild card into the Wimbledon singles draw. , start time: 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z "Through all her transformations -- of body, hair, clothes, glasses, nationalities, coaches, lovers -- the one thing, ever the same, ever distinct, is her voice, which is pitched to shatter a champagne flute," Deford wrote. [53] An ESPN Documentary was produced about her rivalry with Chris Evert titled, Unmatched. This is Navratilova's second bout with cancer. The womens season-ending event, known as the Virginia Slims Championships, was originally founded in 1972. On January 9, 2008, Navratilova acquired Czech citizenship, thus becoming a dual citizen. By late October, Navratilova had "apparently recovered". As a teenager, she quickly became a tennis standout, winning her first professional singles title in the U.S. in 1974. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. "[111] In 2008, tennis historian and journalist Bud Collins called Navratilova "arguably, the greatest player of all time."[112]. [29] She played for the Boston Lobsters in the World TeamTennis pro league through the 2009 season.[30]. But she's a kitten," says Chris Evert about Martina Navratilova on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series. She was partnered with Tony Dovolani, but they were the first pair eliminated. She was ranked No. I gave it about 10 more years than it had the right to expect. In 1982, Navratilova went 90-3 and became the first female athlete to earn more than $1 million in a year. No more. worth of 15 million dollars. [11], Navratilova was born Martina ubertov in Prague, Czechoslovakia. women players are ready to retire. The nine-time Wimbledon champion seemed powerless, despite the cheering of the New York crowd and the support of her mother. Since 1968, when the Open Era began, no male or female player had won more singles titles than Navratilova (167), doubles events (177), or matches (2,189). Martina Navratilova is a Czech and American retired tennis player and coach. Each day, Tennis Majors takes you back to an important moment in tennis history. In her first singles performance in eight years, at Eastbourne in 2002, she beat world No. 2 Answers ANSWER She was 49 and retired after winning the mixed doubles at the U.S. Open in 2006. Last check: 1 year ago. Navratilova's loss at the French Open was her only singles defeat during that year, during which she established an 861 record. Her fianc, an ex-NFL star dead set on a tennis Grand Slam, has a tragic accident. On this day, November 14 in 1994, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, aged 38, played her final match on the tour, defeated by Gabriela Sabatini in the first round of the WTA Tour Championships (6-4, 6-2). [34] Navratilova then lost her second round match with the same player who had beaten her at the French Open the previous month, Gisela Dulko, in three sets. [69][70] She continued to wear glasses for tennis for many years. "To have achieved so much, triumphed so magnificently, yet always to have been the other, the odd one, alone: lefthander in a righthanded universe, gay in a straight world; defector, immigrant; the [last?] In 2005 Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005. [14] In 1972, at the age of 15, Navratilova won the Czechoslovakia national tennis championship. She entered the 1984 Australian Open with a chance of winning all four titles in the same year. "I stuck it to the communist regime by leaving and succeeding. She made the quarterfinals the next year and lost to Helga Masthoff (ne Niessen). She returned to tennis again in 2000, but strictly as a doubles player. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. "It brought forth sounds of decency and forthrightness, leavened with wit and compassion. Sabatini climbed as high as world No 3 in 1989. Her closing remarks were. In New York, she played under a paper mountain of statistics and history, having won 167 singles titles and 177 women's doubles titles, and spent 331 weeks as the world's top-ranked player. Graf also defeated Navratilova in the finals of the WTA Tour Championships their third and final match of the year. A six-minute tribute film was shown on the giant screen, and a commemorative banner was raised to the Madison Square Gardens rafters, an honour usually reserved to hockey or basketball players. [26] Navratilova also defeated Graf in straight sets at the WTA Tour Championship and with an 893 record, earned the number-one ranking for the fifth consecutive year. And it felt right. Martina Navratilova, American-Czech tennis player, Tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics Women's doubles, Czechoslovakia Prize money. has won more total majors (62). And what I think I have come to realise, the biggest thing for me, is just that the level of difficulty that trans people go through cannot be underestimated. "[102], In August 2020, Navratilova along with 300+ women signed a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association in support of an Idaho law that bans trans women student athletes from competing in female sports. [14][15] In 1962, her mother Jana married Miroslav Navrtil, who became her first tennis coach. In 1994, the top 16 players in the world qualified for the Championships, and, unlike in present times, there was no round-robin format. Her accomplishment was declared a "Grand Slam" by Philippe Chatrier, president of the International Tennis Federation, although some tennis observers countered that it was not a true slam because the titles had not been won in a single calendar year. [60] Navratilova since has reidentified herself as a lesbian. Just before Wimbledon in 1979, Navratilova and Evert played possibly the highest scoring women's professional match ever in the Eastbourne final, in which Evert edged Navratilova 75, 57, 1311 after facing match points. "Both these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes.". 1 player, said in 2006 that Navratilova is "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived. [126], Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Glenn Greenwald is developing a feature film documentary film about Navratilova as his childhood hero and as a social justice pioneer, with Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine.[127]. They included Miroslav Navrtil, George Parma,[40] Vra Sukov, Rene Richards (19811983), Mike Estep (19831986),[43] and Craig Kardon (19881994). Read full biography, Yes, Martina Navratilova is still alive Jan. 4, 2023. 1 seed Navratilova unexpectedly lost to No. By 1990 Navratilova had won the womens singles championships of the French Open twice (1982, 1984), the Australian Open three times (1981, 1983, 1985), the U.S. Open four times (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987), and Wimbledon a record nine times (1978, 1979, 198287, 1990). Navratilova said she was bisexual. In the final at Wimbledon, the 33-year-old Navratilova swept Zina Garrison 64, 61 to claim an all-time record ninth Wimbledon singles crown. Her rivalry and friendship with Evert is also detailed in the book, The Rivals by Johnette Howard and the children's book, Martina and Chrissie by Phil Bildner. "When she came into the game, she was the European among Americans; she leaves as the American among Europeans -- and the only grown-up left in the tennis crib. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Navratilova was stripped of her citizenship [6] when, in 1975 at age 18, she asked the United States for political asylum and was granted temporary residence. During 1982, 1983, and 1984, Navratilova lost a total of only six singles matches. She continued to compete in doubles play. Since the Open era began in 1968 (and statistics were carefully recorded), no player -- male or female -- has won more tournaments than Navratilova's 167 or more matches than her 1,438 (against just 212 defeats). , start time: 2014-12-15T00:00:00Z, 2004 Summer Olympics The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. In 2000, Navratilova would come back to the tour, restricting herself to doubles. Connors was allowed only one serve per point, and Navratilova was allowed to hit into half the doubles court. She was stripped of her Czech citizenship, and in 1981 she became a U.S. citizen. She was 49 years old. It will not be the first retirement for Navratilova, as she announced that it was the end once before, in 1994, only to then return to tennis in 2000. Though raised on the slow clay courts of Czechoslovakia, Navratilova eschewed the polite, baseline-anchored woman's game. In the years that she and Chris Evert were locked in their fierce rivalry to be Number One, sports fans saw it was possible for two very different women, physically and emotionally, different in lifestyle and playing style, to both be great champions -- and friends. Left-handed, Navratilova played serve-and-volley unlike any woman before her. Martina Navratilova announced she was diagnosed with two types of cancer. Her move to the United States came as women's professional tennis was blossoming, with popular and electric stars like Billie Jean King and Chris Evert. Required fields are marked *, Website#dbfe34e9a4d9f11ab6e984e1{display:none}. By 1994, she had also won 31 Grand Slam titles in doubles, and seven in mixed doubles. , point in time: 1984-09-10T00:00:00Z Manage Settings Navratilova would become the first woman to earn $1 million in a single season, and the first tennis player male or female to earn $10 million in her career. That same day, Lemigova, 50, shared a touching Instagram post, expressing gratitude to those keeping Navratilova in their thoughts as she fights the disease. In an April 2006 interview, she said she had begun eating fish again because she found it hard to get enough protein while on the road. That summer she moved to Dallas to live with basketball star Nancy Lieberman, who became her lover, personal trainer and hardened her physically and mentally. She will be turning 67 in only 228 days from today (04 March, 2023). In 2000, she became a member of the Laureus Sports Foundation's Academy. Martina then took the name of her stepfather (adding the feminine suffix -ov), thus becoming Martina Navrtilov. 7 seed Pam Shriver in the quarterfinal round. [65] They married in New York on December 15, 2014. 1 ranking for the first time on the WTA computer, a position she held until Evert took it back in January 1979. Occupation Professional Tennis Player (Retired) Can't she ever get it right?". They were intimidated by this. Navratilova, 66, will start treatment later this month, she announced Monday. Navratilova - born Martina Subertova - grew up in what was then Czechoslovakia and at the age of 18 in 1975, she was granted political asylum by the United States, where she became a citizen six years later. She finished with 18, including four U.S. Gabriela Sabatini would go on to win the 1994 WTA Tour Championships defeating Lindsay Davenport in the final (6-3, 6-2, 6-4). [115], In March 2012, The Tennis Channel named Navratilova as the second greatest female tennis player of all times, behind Steffi Graf, in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all times. Net Worth in 2021. The Wimbledon win allowed her to equal Billie Jean King's record of 20 Wimbledon titles (in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles combined) and extended her overall number of major titles to 58 (second only to Margaret Court, who won 64). I have to say that she is a great person.. She came to the United States to play tennis and became the queen of Burger King. She has spoken out on a number of volatile political issues, including tort/litigation reform, but perhaps her most consistent themeaside from gay and lesbian rightshas been her unstinting opposition to Communism, and unrelenting opposition to the former Eastern Bloc power structure that compelled her to flee her native Czechoslovakia. After a good first serve, she hit an aggressive forehand which she followed to the net, but she didnt have to volley: Navratilovas career ended on a missed backhand passing shot. Martina Navratilova looks on after the Women's Singles Final match during the 2022 U.S. Open in New York. A dozen years later, after winning her ninth Wimbledon, she said, "I prefer to consider my love for Wimbledon a rational reverence.". Two decades later, she left tennis as the queen of the game. The 66-year-old discovered an enlarged lymph node in her neck back in November.