A shocking news from the tennis world has made headlines around the globe at the beginning of the year 2025.
Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski, Wimbledon finalist and bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympics, revealed that she played throughout the entire season that just ended while undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.
Ranked 3rd in the WTA doubles world rankings, Dabrowski announced that she is currently "ok" in an Instagram post. Her story began with the detection of a nodule in 2023, which turned into a cancerous lesion during the same year. Dabrowski kept this harsh diagnosis hidden, but now insists on sharing her case in an attempt to help other women.
"I know this will be a shock to many, but I am OK and will be OK. Early detection saves lives. Everything seems surreal. Why am I sharing my story now? For a long time, I was not ready to expose myself to the attention and questions I would have received before. I wanted to figure everything out and deal with things privately, only with those closest to me. There were so many unknowns. Currently, I understand the treatment better, the side effects, and how to manage them. My intentions in sharing a part of my experience are to emphasize the quality of life that can be maintained when cancer is detected early. It is very good when you have access to doctors and other healthcare practitioners who are highly qualified and dedicated to their profession, when you take care of your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, and when you surround yourself with people who truly support you," said Dabrowski.
In her first tournament after surgery, Dabrowski won the WTA tournament on the grass at Nottingham with New Zealander Erin Routliffe. The pair then reached the final at Wimbledon but were defeated by Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.
She postponed her treatment afterward to be able to compete for Canada at the Olympics, where she remarkably claimed a bronze medal in mixed doubles, alongside Auger-Aliassime.
D.A.