Martina Navratilova has had valiant opponents on the tennis court throughout her illustrious career. However, she always stood resilient and fought head-on. However, she faced her biggest challenge off the court; when she was diagnosed with cancer. Fighting it once was difficult enough, but when the American tennis legend got to know that it has resurfaced, she felt helpless. That moment was equally devastating for her loved ones, who had a difficult time expressing their emotions.

Most importantly, it was her wife Julia Lemigova who had to stay strong for Navratilova. But when she broke the news to other people, even she could not help from breaking down.

How did the devastating news of Navratilova’s cancer shake her loved ones? 

The closest person to Navratilova at that time was her wife. When Lemigova got to know about her cancer, she held back her tears. She wanted to provide Navratilova with all the love and support that she could. However, the shield had to break at one point.

So, when she dissipated the news to people around her, wishes came pouring in. As reported by the Daily Mail, tennis players from around the world conveyed their well-wishes and prayed for her quick recovery. Then Lemigova had to tell her two daughters, Victoria, 21, and Emma, 17 about the heartbreaking update. The two daughters regard Navratilova ‘as a parent’. But it was the phone call to her mother in Russia which led Lemigova to finally pour out her emotions.

Lemigova knew she had to be strong for Navratilova, so even though she did not want to shop for Thanksgiving or Christmas, she did it. She stated, “The last thing I wanted to do was cook, but Martina loves her food so much.” To cope with the fear and apprehension, Lemigova took up boxing, but it kind of developed into a compulsory behavior for her. She always wanted to “punch away that fear.”

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Even when she got to know about the resurfacing of her cancer, she did not let Navratilova sense her fear.

How did Lemigova comfort Martina Navratilova? 

After getting the news of Navratilova’s diagnosis, her wife confessed she forgot to breathe. She just hugged her tightly and comforted her. But what Navratilova did not see at that point was that Lemigova had tears in her eyes which she hid from her. Only the hug bore her emotions, which she realized was because she was squeezing Navratilova too hard. 

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However, the couple fought all these obstacles and focused on Navratilova’s chemotherapy. Fortunately, the tennis star is finally cancer-free.