Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert has been diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer and is undergoing treatment, she said in a statement on Friday.

“While this is a diagnosis I never wanted to hear, I once again feel fortunate that it was caught early,” Evert said in a statement released through ESPN, and also shared on her feed on the X social media platform.

“Based on a PET CT scan, I underwent another robotic surgery this past week. Doctors found cancer cells in the same pelvic region. All cells were removed, and I have begun another round of chemotherapy.”

Evert, 68, said in January of 2022 that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her younger sister, Jeanne Evert Dubin, died of the same disease in February of 2020 at the age of 62.

Evert said she would step away from her commentating work with ESPN and “will be unable to join my colleagues when ESPN makes its return to Melbourne for the Australian Open next month.”

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