Wimbledon finalist Gabriela Dabrowski heartbreakingly revealed she played through the 2024 season while receiving urgent treatment for breast cancer.
The 32-year-old Canadian had kept her diagnosis a secret in April, but detailed the battle she has been through in a lengthy Instagram post.
Dabrowski said: “I know this will be a shock to many, but I am fine and I will be fine.” Early detection saves lives.'
After first finding a lump in spring 2023, which she was told was nothing to worry about, she had a scan a year later and was told she had cancer.
Dabrowski did not play a match in April and May, but returned in June, winning her first tournament with partner Erin Routliffe in Nottingham.
She delayed treatment so she could compete at Wimbledon, where she and Routliffe finished runners-up, and at the Olympics, while the pair finished the season by winning the WTA Finals, leaving Dabrowski third in the world.
Gabriela Dabrowski (right) revealed that she has been secretly fighting breast cancer this year
The tennis star, currently world number 3 in doubles, revealed the news on Instagram
In August in Paris, Dabrowski left the Olympic Games with a bronze medal, having partnered Felix Auger-Aliassime in mixed doubles.
The Canadian duo beat their Dutch rivals in straight sets to secure a medal, with Dabrowski at the time describing the fortnight as the “experience of a lifetime”.
“Everything seems surreal,” he wrote. 'Why am I sharing my story now? For a long time I was unprepared to expose myself to the potential attention and questions I would have received before.
“I wanted to resolve everything and handle things privately, with only the people closest to me in the know.
Dabrowski in a social media post from May 2022
Dabrowski (right) and partner Erin Routliffe recently won the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
Dabrowski also won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, playing in mixed doubles.
Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada plays a forehand as she plays with Erin Routliffe of New Zealand against Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the United States during the women's doubles final during day thirteen of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2024 in London, England
'There were so many unknowns and so much learning and research to do. I am currently at a place where I better understand my treatment, the side effects, and how to manage them.
'My intentions in sharing part of my experience are to emphasize the quality of life that one can maintain when cancer is detected early, when one has access to doctors and other health professionals highly trained and dedicated to their craft, when one takes care of your mental, physical and spiritual well-being, and when you surround yourself with people who truly have your back (and protect you).'
Dabrowski and her doubles partner Routliffe are expected to compete at the upcoming Australian Open in January, where they will likely be seeded No. 3.