Olympic medalist Gabriela Dabrowski reveals why 'cancer had to happen to me’

As Canadian tennis prima Gabriela Dabrowski nears the one-year day of her crab diagnosis, the three-time Grand Slam champion revealed successful a caller interrogation that the life-changing quality she received successful the outpouring of 2024 changed her outlook connected beingness for the better. 

Dabrowski, who won her first Olympic medal successful Paris conscionable months aft being diagnosed with bosom cancer, archetypal revealed successful an Instagram station connected New Year’s Eve that, contempt each the occurrence she had seen that season, she had been keeping a secret. 

Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada successful enactment astatine the U.S. Open connected August 29, 2024. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

She had archetypal observed a lump successful her near bosom during a "self-exam" successful 2023, but it was aboriginal dismissed by different doctor. The pursuing year, successful the spring, a WTA doc suggested she get different evaluation, and aft a bid of testing, Dabrowski was diagnosed with bosom cancer.

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"I don't regret what the doc told maine past [in 2023], due to the fact that I'm truly blessed with however my twelvemonth turned out, what I learned, what I experienced," she told Olympics.com past week. "It's an acknowledgment that crab is thing truly messed up and it tin beryllium precise scary." 

Unbeknownst to her fans, Dabrowski underwent attraction but remained connected the court. She won 2 doubles titles, including the WTA Tour Final, and earned her archetypal Olympic medal astatine the Summer Games. She besides reached a caller career-high successful doubles ranking, coming successful astatine No. 3. 

Gabriela Dabrowski celebrates aft winning the bronze medal successful mixed doubles during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. (Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports)

TENNIS STAR GABRIELA DABROWSKI REVEALS SHE PLAYED IN WIMBLEDON, OLYMPICS WHILE BATTLING BREAST CANCER

For Dabrowski, her outlook connected beingness changed pursuing her diagnosis. She said crab "shook" her into knowing of "what it meant to beryllium alive." 

"Cancer had to hap to me; thing had to shingle me, and crab did that," she told Olympics.com. 

"It shook me. It's not to accidental that I wasn't grateful for my beingness before, oregon the radical successful it, oregon the experiences successful beingness that I lead. But it was thing bigger, due to the fact that it truly shook maine to my halfway of what it meant to beryllium alive, what it meant to play a athletics for a living."

From left, Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) and Erin Routliffe (NZL) and Katerina Siniakova (CZE) and Taylor Townsend (USA) airs with the finalists and title trophies, respectively, aft their Wimbledon ladies' doubles last successful 2024. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

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Dabrowski came guardant with her travel with the hopes of bringing consciousness to aboriginal detection and sharing her communicative arsenic a survivor. 

"Early connected successful my diagnosis I was acrophobic of crab becoming a portion of my individuality forever," she wrote successful her station from December. "I don't consciousness that mode anymore. It is simply a privilege to beryllium capable to telephone myself a survivor."

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