Doubles world No. 3 Gabriela Dabrowski waited until December 31 to share that her 2024 was defined by a battle with cancer. Despite facing treatment, recovery, and ongoing health challenges throughout the season, the Canadian tennis star showed remarkable resilience, clinching two WTA titles out of six finals and securing a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Dabrowski’s challenging health journey began in the spring of 2023 when she found a lump during a routine self-exam. Initially reassured by doctors, her world changed in mid-April 2024 with the devastating diagnosis of breast cancer.
Reflecting on her diagnosis, Dabrowski stated, “Early on, I feared cancer defining me forever. Now, I see it as a privilege to call myself a survivor.”
The path to recovery started with two surgeries at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Following a three-month break from the WTA Tour for rehabilitation, Dabrowski faced physical and emotional hurdles. She returned to the court just two weeks after her surgeries to win the Rothesay Open doubles title in Nottingham with Erin Routliffe in mid-June.
They continued their success at Wimbledon, reaching the final but falling to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend. Dabrowski postponed cancer treatment to compete at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics, where she won a mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Radiation therapy before the US Open tested Dabrowski’s strength, yet she made it to the quarterfinals in New York with Routliffe. Despite fatigue and the start of endocrine therapy, she ended her season with a victory at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, partnering with Routliffe to defeat Siniakova and Townsend once again.
Her cancer journey altered her perspective on life and her career. “If you noticed me smiling more on the court in the last six months, it was genuine,” she said. “My mindset has shifted from ‘I have to do this (play tennis and not waste my skills)’ to ‘I get to do this.’”
At 32, Dabrowski expressed gratitude for the lessons learned from the battle, saying, “To cancer I say f*** you, but also, thank you. Only when I faced losing everything I had worked for did I truly appreciate what I had.”
