Carla Suarez Navarro, who was diagnosed with cancer in September this year, has said she will fight to get back on a tennis court before she says goodbye to the sport.
In a recent interview to El Pais, Suarez Navarro said, “I want to say goodbye to tennis on a court. It’s a dream, right? But the reality is that I go day by day, week by week.”
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The Spanish player had earlier said that 2020 would be her farewell season on the tour. But in September she revealed that she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma — a form of cancer that originates in the lymph system, part of the body’s immune system.
The 32-year-old will be going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments for six months.
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“I feel pretty good. When I have to go through a chemo session I have some ailments for a few days but they are bearable, so I feel relieved,” she said.
“My daily life is calm. When I have therapy I spend a few days at home. Otherwise I walk and do some gym. I can lead a normal life even if, with the current situation, I have to be cautious. I have followed tennis a lot in the past months.
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“In a few months this will remain a bad memory. We have to fight, always. It can be healed and life is long. The path is difficult but with a positive attitude we can do it.”
Though Suarez Navarro is still undergoing treatment, she has been sparring on the tennis court and also posted videos of her lifting weights. One of her dreams is to play the Tokyo Olympics, which has been delayed to summer of 2021 due to the pandemic.
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“I’m trying to recover, and then it will be seen,” she said of competing at the Games.
“I have a protected ranking and I will not be able to play before, so those who will qualify or not will be my teammates, depending on the results they make. It is something that is there, a way that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
