"Stronger than cancer": Suarez Navarro makes an emotional comeback in Paris
Carla Suarez Navarro did not want cancer to dictate the end of her career. Now the Spaniard has overcome the serious illness - and is celebrating her emotional comeback at the French Open.
by SID / tennisnet
last edit: May 29, 2021, 09:19 am
Carla Suarez Navarro had imagined her departure from the tennis stage very carefully. Play one last time on the big courts of this world, then open a new chapter with your partner - that was the plan until this terrible diagnosis turned everything upside down in August 2020: a malignant tumor in the lymphatic system. But even in the darkest hours, the fighter immediately saw a ray of hope, she did not want cancer to dictate the end of her career.
"Tennis gave me a lot and I always wanted to be able to say goodbye on the court. I wanted to be able to choose the last stroke, to be able to set a date - that's something I wanted from the bottom of my heart "said the 32-year-old, and her wish comes true. Cancer is over, and Suarez Navarro is making her comeback at the French Open that starts on Sunday. The opponent is the American Sloane Stephens, who made it to the Roland Garros final in 2018.
Don't play one last time in Paris ...
With a year late, the Spaniard can organize her farewell tour according to her wishes. "I've worked the past few months to give myself the opportunity to compete in Paris one last time," the former number six told the world. Then Wimbledon, the US Open, maybe even the Olympic Games. "All the big tournaments one last time," said Suarez Navarro, "that's my big dream."
During the US Open last fall, she made her dire diagnosis public. The so-called Hodgkin's lymphoma made a six-month chemotherapy inevitable , the shock in the scene was great, as Suarez Navarro is one of the most popular players on the tour because of her warm nature. But also the response was huge, from Novak Djokovic to Simona Halep the best wishes came in.
The joy was all the greater when Suarez Navarro announced her recovery on Twitter at the end of April, in a picture she was beaming in a victory pose in a shirt that said "stronger than cancer" - stronger than cancer. With her tireless fighting spirit, which always distinguished her on the court, Suarez Navarro had also tackled the disease.
Suarez Navarro: "Enjoy to the full"
Her first reaction to the diagnosis was: "Okay doctor, what do I have to do to get well again?" After all, she "didn't want people to remember me in a hospital bed." She had already returned as a sparring partner at the tournament in Madrid - the fact that the comeback is now working in Paris is very special for her.
"Roland Garros is a tournament that has given me some of the best moments of my career," said Suarez Navarro. In 2008 she reached the quarter-finals as a qualifier in her Grand Slam debut, and the last appearance in Paris for which she fought so hard will be no less emotional. "I just hope," she said, "that I can enjoy it to the fullest."