Washington, D.C. - On the Medtech POV podcast, AdvaMed President and CEO Scott Whitaker sat down with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, professional tennis legends who met as teen-age competitors and whose friendship of 50-plus years has deepened over each surviving cancer. The recording occurred in the exhibit hall of The MedTech Conference, where Navratilova and Evert gave a keynote chat moderated by The Washington Post's Sally Jenkins, who has long covered their careers and friendship.

Navratilova on tennis competition:

"I preferred playing people that I liked. Because when I played people that I didn't like, which thankfully there weren't that many, I didn't play that well. I would get tight, but playing a friend, if I won, great. And if I lost, I was happy for them. So it was kind of more of a win-win situation for me that way."

Evert on the importance of early cancer screening and follow-up screening after her diagnosis and treatment:

"Again, it [the diagnosis] was early because I had a CAT scan. The good thing is now, every three months I have a CAT scan. So, if I have anything, they get it early."

Navratilova on proton therapy, a highly targeted form of radiation therapy, for her throat cancer:

"It really saved me because if they had done surgery before [the] proton [treatment], I would have had to learn how to speak again because a big part of my tongue would have been gone."

Evert on the importance of listening to your body and going to the doctor if anything feels wrong:

"A lot of women, I think, wait too long. … They're used to taking care of everybody else but themselves. They don't think it's going to be anything big. And then when it does get big, they're stage three or stage four. And that's tough. Then sometimes it's too late. My message is, you feel anything different in your body, don't think you're being a wimp. You just go get a check."

On a light note, don't miss their opinions on pickleball.

To hear the full conversation, download the Medtech POV podcast on Spotify,  Apple Podcasts or wherever podcast streaming is available. Visit AdvaMed's website for more information on the podcast and past guests.

The Medtech POV podcast is hosted by Scott Whitaker, President and CEO of AdvaMed, the world's largest medical technology association. It premiered in April 2021 and features interviews with a range of health care experts, medtech leaders, and policy experts. In each episode, Whitaker and guests cover the intersection of medtech and policy from every perspective, including current issues in business, policy, and current events.