Martina Navratilova described the day she found out that she has breast cancer as my own personal 9/11.

The nine time Wimbledon-singles champion cried when a biopsy turned positive on February 24 after a routine mammogram.

It really knocked me on my ass, the 53 year old Navratilova told People magazine. For the past years I feel so in control of my life and my body, and when this comes, it's completely out of my control.

Doctors told that she has a ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, an invasive form of cancer which is confined to the milk ducts and has not spread to the nearby tissues.

Dr Mindy Nagle, a friend of Navratilova, said: It was the best case scenario you could imagine for detecting breast cancer.

Navratilova who is a health and fitness ambassador for AARP, a US campaign group for the over-50's depicts herself as very lucky to have the cancer been detected so early.

However, she admitted that she let it slide by going four years between mammograms. Another year and I could have been in big trouble, She said.

In a statement she said that battling cancer is tougher than her toughest tennis opponents such as Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and the Williams sisters.

The day I was diagnosed with breast cancer was my personal 9/11. I was completely shocked and knocked out.

This is a huge wake-up call for me and shows that no matter how much you exercise or watch what you eat, you'll just never know what will happen next.

It's not all about eating right and having regular exercise. Preventive steps is a must, and in some cases, more of a difference. Getting a mammogram literally saved my life.

DCIS is a non-invasive breast cancer and is a form of disease in which the cells inside the mik ducts started to turn into cancer cells.

Because they are inside the ducts there is a little chance that it can spread to the rest of the breast tissue or anywhere else in the body. However, if not treated at once, it may become invasive.

The recommended treatment before used to be a mastectomy, but a recent research by the British Journal of Cancer found that lumpectomy with radiotherapy will kill unhealthy cell left behind.

Breast screening cancer can catch cancer at an early stage, so we encourage women to go when they are invited. It is important that all women are aware of their breast and should go to their doctors at once when unusual changes in their breasts happen.

The tennis star had a lumpectomy and will undergo radiation therapy this coming May.

Medicine Breast cancer Cancer