The Miami Open attracts the world’s top tennis players to South Florida. Last year’s event unexpectedly led to a cancer diagnosis for Canadian tennis star Gabriela Dabrowski.
Dabrowski had an impressive 2024 season. The 32-year-old won her first Olympic medal, advanced at Wimbledon, and reached her career-high doubles ranking at No. 3 in the world. But her most vicious opponent wasn’t on the court – it was in the form of cancer.
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WATCH HERE“Pretty much a year ago, we have these very comprehensive physicals that look at lots of different facets of our health, and one of them is to see a general doctor," she told NBC6. "And I'd had this lump for a little while, and I thought it might be growing, and I asked her to check it out. And she said, 'Oh, I'm really not sure what it is, but because I'm not sure, I want you to get a scan.'"
That was at the 2024 Miami Open during a health screening required for every female player. Things escalated quickly from there and scans would reveal it was breast cancer. Yet only her inner circle knew about it.
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“I think I compartmentalized with the help of a few key people in my life," Dabrowski said of playing while knowing about her diagnosis. "And then with the tennis part, it was like this bonus of, 'OK, can I still play?' Like, in between surgeries, I could play a little bit."
Dabrowski was able to compete alongside her doubles partner, Erin Routliffe, all while undergoing treatment and surgeries. She didn’t just play a little. She dominated all while holding on to this secret. She revealed her life-altering news later in an Instagram post that she said took months to write.
“Going into the new year, I was like, 'I'm ready, I'm ready to share what I went through,' and my main goal is to just hopefully have a positive impact because I really want women to know that early screenings save lives,” Dabrowski said.
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The cancer diagnosis became a catalyst for what she describes as sustained change.
“I feel really lucky to be able to play a sport for a living, to be able to travel the world, although travel days will never be fun, and I don't think that can change. Yeah, I just feel a lot more grateful to play tennis as my job and also have the opportunity to kind of get my health back,” she said.
Dabrowsit got her health back and has returned to the event that marked the beginning of her cancer journey, this time, with renewed passion and strength. She is on long-term treatment with at least five years of endocrine therapy.
The Women’s Tennis Association invited NBC6 inside the physicals that first set Dabrowski on her cancer journey at the Miami Open, and it’s the first stop every female player makes before they hit the court.
