Former US Open women’s doubles champion Gabriela Dabrowski announced Tuesday that she will play until 2024 after receiving treatment for breast cancer. She postponed part of her treatment to reach the doubles final at Wimbledon.
“I know this will come as a shock to many, but I am fine and I will be fine,” the 32-year-old Canadian said on social media. “Early detection saves lives. “I can completely agree with this.”
Dabrowski, ranked third in women’s doubles, announced in an Instagram post that she was diagnosed in April. She was sidelined that month and in May due to surgery, but returned to the court in June.
Dabrowski said there was “a bit of a delay in further treatment” to prepare her and New Zealand’s Erin Rutlib for Wimbledon, where she lost to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the final in July, and the Paris Olympics, where she won a bronze medal. Mixed doubles with Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Dabrowski said he discovered the first lump in the second half of 2023 and was initially told not to worry.
“Everything seems surreal,” Dabrowski wrote, noting that he now has a “better understanding” of his treatment and its side effects. “For a long time, I wasn’t ready to expose myself to the attention and questions I could get before. I wanted to figure it all out and do things privately with the people closest to me out of the loop.”
Dabrowski and Routliffe won the WTA Finals at the end of this season. The pair also won the 2023 U.S. women’s doubles title.
“My mindset changed from ‘I have to do this (play tennis and not waste my skills)’ to ‘I have to do this.’ Through this lens, I’ve found it much easier to find joy in areas of my life that previously seemed heavy,” she said.
Dabrowski ended his post by taking aim at the cancer slur, adding, “But also thank you.”
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