"Stay strong" - Iga Swiatek voices her support for Chris Evert after 68-year old's cancer recurrence

Iga Swiatek has lent her support for tennis veteran Chris Evert after the latter shared her recent cancer diagnosis.

The 68-year-old was previously diagnosed with Stage 1C ovarian cancer in January 2022. She had the BRCA-1 variant, the same that unfortunately claimed her sister Jeanne's life. After battling the disease with multiple rounds of chemotherapy, Evert made the happy announcement of being cancer-free in 2023.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion recently shared the devastating news that doctors had discovered cancer cells in her pelvic region again. However, staying positive, the American emphasized the early detection.

"Since I was first diagnosed with cancer two years ago, I've been very open about my experience. I wanted to give all of you an update. My cancer is back. While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it was caught early," Evert said via ESPN.

Evert has undergone a robotic surgery that successfully removed all the malignant cells. She will next commence chemotherapy as part of her treatment.

Iga Swiatek took to social media in support of Evert in her fight against the deadly disease.

"Stay strong," Iga Swiatek wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Evert received a lot of love and support from the tennis world, including tennis icons Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, following her cancer diagnosis.

Iga Swiatek wins 2023 WTA Player of the Year award

Iga Swiatek in action at the 2023 WTA Finals

After a stellar run in 2023, Iga Swiatek ended her season on a high note after being voted the WTA Player of the Year.

The Pole is the first player after Serena Williams to win the prestigious award for the second consecutive time. She took the lead over the likes of reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and US Open champion Coco Gauff.

Swiatek lifted this year's French Open trophy and won six titles, the most of any other player on tour this season. After a tug-of-war with Sabalenka for the top spot, she sealed her position as the year-end World No. 1 with a triumph at the WTA Finals.

Swiatek's team received recognition and encouragement with her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski bagging the Coach of the Year Award. Coco Gauff's coaches Brad Gilbert and Pere Riba, Aryna Sabalenka's coach Anton Dubrov and Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov were also in contention for the honor.

Wiktorowski teamed up with Swiatek two years ago and was nominated for the same award last year.