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Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball during the quarterfinals of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball during the quarterfinals of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Promising Chilean tennis player Ignacio Tejeda, who had been battling cancer for the last 11 months, has passed away.
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The news has left the tennis world in shock as the 17-year-old had shown early promise following his ITF debut and had even trained at the Rafael Academy.
Tejeda was diagnosed with malignant stem cell tumor
Tejeda had recorded three wins from six matches in the ITF Juniors circuit and was tipped to achieve big things in professional tennis.
The disease was diagnosed in March 2020 and the Chilean had to move to the United States with his family for a stem cell transplant. The Chilean sporting fraternity raised about $780,000 through donations for his treatment in the US.
Former stars Marcelo Rios and Nicolas Massu donated for his treatment
Generous contributions from former Chilean tennis stars Marcelo Rios, Nicolas Massu, who currently coaches World Number 3 Dominic Thiem, and Fernando Gonzalez helped in his stem cell treatment.
Current Chilean Number 1 Christian Garin, as well as a host of top soccer stars back home, also donated handsomely to the cause.
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Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts during his semi-final match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Toby Melville
A tumor of the size of a fist was discovered in the first biopsy performed on Tejeda. What made the treatment a challenge for the doctors was that the tumor was located somewhere around his lungs, aorta, vena cava, and heart. Vena and cava are the two largest veins that carry blood to the upper chambers of the heart.
The Chilean honed his skills at Nadal’s academy under the watchful eyes of his uncle Toni.
When cancer felled former British tennis star Elena Baltacha
It was later discovered that he had a malignant germ cell tumor. Jose Thomas Traipe, his friend, said, “He had such a low pain threshold that no one believed him.”
It is a piece of news that has dulled the spirits of the tennis world at a time when things were just about starting to look up with the return of crowds to the Adelaide exhibition event ahead of the Australian Open.
In a similar tragedy that befell the sport, Elena Baltacha, a former Top-50 tennis star and British Number 1 lost her battle with liver cancer in 2014.
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She was diagnosed with the ailment after retiring from professional tennis.
