Gabriela Dabrowski, a former champion in women’s doubles at the U.S. Open, publicly disclosed on Tuesday that she has been competing through 2024 after receiving treatment for breast cancer. To participate in Wimbledon, where she advanced to the doubles final, she postponed part of her treatment.

The 32-year-old Canadian athlete posted on social media, reassuring fans by stating, “I know this will come as a shock to many, but I am OK and I will be OK. Early detection saves lives. I can wholeheartedly agree with this.”

Currently ranked third in women’s doubles, Dabrowski announced her diagnosis, which she received in April. She took a hiatus from competition for that month and May due to surgery but made a comeback in June.

Dabrowski explained that there was “a slight delay in further treatment” to allow her to compete at Wimbledon. She and her partner, Erin Routliffe from New Zealand, faced defeat in the final against Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in July. Additionally, Dabrowski secured a bronze medal in mixed doubles alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Paris Olympics later that year.

The athlete recounted discovering a lump in the latter part of 2023, at first being assured it was nothing to worry about. “It all seems surreal,” she reflected, expressing that she has gained a “better grasp” on her treatment and its side effects. During the initial stages, she preferred to keep her situation private, only confiding in those who were close to her.

Dabrowski and Routliffe concluded the season triumphantly by winning the WTA Finals and also claimed victory at the U.S. women’s doubles championship in 2023.

“I have reframed my mindset from ‘I have to do this (play tennis and not waste my skills)’ to ‘I get to do this,’” she noted. “Through this lens, I find it much easier to rediscover joy in areas of my life that I once viewed as burdensome.”

In her closing remarks, Dabrowski expressed her strong feelings toward cancer, conveying both frustration and gratitude in her message.