Chris Evert discusses US Open and cancer recovery

JUST LIKE WE ARE EAGERLY AWAITING THE U.S. OPEN. >> Robin: NICELY DONE. HERE WITH 18 TIME -- LOVE SAYING THAT. 18 TIME GRAND SLAM CHAP, ESPN TENNIS ANALYST, CHAIR PERSON OF THE USTA FOUNDATION. NONE OTHER THAN CHRIS EVERT, WHO ALSO IS A VERY, VERY, VERY DEAR FRIEND AND A FELLOW THRIVER. LAST TIME I SAW YOU WE WERE WITH MARTINA. WE WERE IN HOUSTON. >> THAT'S RIGHT. >> Robin: GREAT EVENT THAT WAS HELD. >> THAT'S RIGHT. >> Robin: I JUST LOOK IN YOUR EYES. >> GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> Robin: ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU. I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD OF YOU. JUST THE RESILIENCE, THE GRACE IN WHICH YOU HAVE SPOKEN. AND TO NOT GO THROUGH IT JUST ONCE, BUT TWICE. SECOND TIME WAS JUST A SHORT TIME AFTER YOU HAD BEEN GONE INTO REMISSION. DID YOU LEARN -- HOW WAS THE SECOND TIME? WAS IT DIFFERENT? >> I WAS SURPRISED. I WAS STAGE I. WE GOT IT EARLY THE FIRST TIME. THAT MEANS YOU HAVE A 90% CHANCE OF IT NOT COMING BACK. SO TWO YEARS LATER I GET THE CALL. I HAD A CT, A CAT SCAN. MY DOCTOR SAID, WE SEE SOMETHING IN YOUR PELVIC AREA. I GO, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I'M 90% CURED. SO THEY WENT IN. IT WAS CANCEROUS. MORE CHEMOTHERAPY. ALMOST LIKE A SECOND WAKEUP CALL. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, YOU KNOW? OKAY. I REALLY HAVE TO LIVE MY BEST LIFE RIGHT NOW, AND I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE, BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE BRCA GENE, GENETIC TESTING. >> Robin: EARLY TESTING. >> GET IT DONE. GO TO YOUR EXAMS. ANY TIME YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING CHECKED OUT, IF YOU FEEL SOMETHING NOT QUITE RIGHT, GO TO THE DOCTOR. DON'T THINK THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE A PRIMA DONNA. GET IT CHECKED OUT. >> Robin: SHARE MORE OF THAT MESSAGE. SEPTEMBER IS, OF COURSE, OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. I THINK THAT PEOPLE SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW. >> I KNOW. >> Robin: WOULDN'T YOU RATHER KNOW THAN NOT KNOW? >> YEAH. THEY SAY I'M AFRAID TO FIND OUT. IT'S LIKE, WELL, AREN'T YOU AFRAID NOT TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW? THIS ALL HAPPENED BECAUSE MY YOUNGER SISTER DIED FROM OVARIAN CANCER. SHE HAD ONE VARIANT THAT WAS VERY SUSPICIOUS. SHE DID NOT HAVE BRCA. BUT THEN TWO YEARS LATER I GET THE CALL FROM THE GENETIC THERAPIST WHO SAID YOUR SISTER THAT MUTATION HAS TURNED INTO BRCA AND YOU BETTER GO GET YOUR BRCA TESTED. AND I DID. SURE ENOUGH I HAD THE BRCA GENE. THAT MEANS 40% CHANCE OF OVARIAN AND 70% CHANCE OF BREAST CANCER. SO I HAD IT ALL REMOVED. >> Robin: YOU DID. YOU'RE LIVING YOUR LIFE. YOU'RE LIVING YOUR LIFE. YOU'RE BACK AT WORK. >> IT'S KEEPING ME GOING. >> Robin: I LOVE HEARING YOU IN THE BOOTH PIP LOVE YOUR COMMENTARY. >> THANKS. I TRY. >> Robin: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE U.S. OPEN. STARTS NEXT WEEK. ON THE MEN'S SIDE, IT'S BEEN AWHILE SINCE AN AMERICAN MAN HAS WON THE U.S. OPEN. I THINK ANDY RODDICK 20 YEARS AGO. FIVE OF THE TOP 20 MEN'S PLAYERS ARE FROM THE U.S. COULD THIS BE THE YEAR THEY BREAK THROUGH? >> I THINK THEY'RE PUSHING EACH OTHER. YOU HAVE SOME GOOD SOLID AMERICAN PLAYERS THAT ARE, BY THE WAY, VERY GOOD FRIENDS. TAYLOR AND TOMMY PAUL ACTUALLY WON A BRONZE AT THE OLYMPICS FOR DOUBLES, WHICH IS VERY GOOD. I THINK IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE TIACO IS PLAYING BETTER. HE PLAYED IN THE FINALS LAST WEEK. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE MEN. WE'VE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT THE WOMEN. COCOA GOFF AND HOW GREAT THE WOMEN ARE DOING. THE MEN HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN THE BACKGROUND. NOW THEY'RE SHOWING THEIR STUFF. I THINK THEY CAN DO WELL. >> Robin: THEY ARE SHOWING THEIR STUFF. THE WOMEN HAVE BEEN DOING THAT. COCOA. TEENAGER LAST YEAR. FIRST WON SIN SERENA AS A TEENAGER. WHAT ARE HER CHANCES FOR A REPEAT? >> ALL THE TOP PLAYERS ARE A LITTLE CRANKY RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY'VE HAD A CHALLENGING, CHALLENGING YEAR. PLAYED A LOT MORE TOURNAMENTS. THEN YOU THROW IN THE OLYMPICS AND ALL THAT EXCITEMENT. COCOA WAS CARRYING THE FLAG, YOU KNOW, AND SHE WAS GETTING ALL THE AUTOGRAPHS. I HAD A FEELING SHE WASN'T GOING TO DO GREAT AT THE OLYMPICS BECAUSE IT'S OVERWHELMING. EVERYBODY IS A LITTLE BIT TIRED NOW. BUT ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THE NEW YORK CROWD IS THAT IT BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN AMERICAN PLAYERS. I DO NOT COUNT COCOA OUT. I THINK SHE CAN WIN ANOTHER ONE. >> Robin: SOMETHING ABOUT THE CROWD THAT ENERGIZES YOU. >> AMERICAN. >> Robin: USTA. YOU'RE THE CHAIR PERSON. IT'S A MILESTONE YEAR. YOU HAVE A NEW INITIATIVE? >> WE DO HAVE A NEW INITIATIVE. WE FOUND OUT THAT 70% OF KIDS WHO ARE 13 AND OVER, WE'RE LOSING THEM. IN EVERY SPORT. NOT JUST TENNIS. EVERY SPORT. WE'RE TRYING TO COME UP WITH AN INITIATIVE THAT WILL KEEP THEM INVOLVED, KEEP THEM INTERESTED IN OUR PROGRAMS, WHICH IS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, SAFE HAVEN, TUTORING, TENNIS, MENTORING, YOU KNOW, LIFE SKILLS. WE WANT TO KEEP THESE KIDS SAFE AND OFF THE STREETS. THIS IS OUR INITIATIVE, TO TRY TO FIND OUT HOW WE CAN GET OVER 13 KIDS MORE INTERESTED. >> Robin: GET THEM IN THE GAME AND KEEP THEM THERE. >> GET THEM IN THE GAME, YEAH. >> Robin: THE USTA, GOING OUT TO THE OPEN FOR THOSE TWO WEEKS, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK. >> WHAT ABOUT YOU? YOU'RE THERE EVERY YEAR. YOU COME TO OUR GALA. YOU REALLY SUPPORT US. THANK YOU. >> Robin: EASY TO DO. YOU'RE A GRANDMA! FIRST TIME GRANDMA. I SEE IT ALL OVER YOUR SOCIAL. >> I KNOW. JAMES, MY GRANDSON. THERE HE IS. THERE'S ANDY. GOOD OLD ANDY. ALWAYS HANGING AROUND THESE PICTURES. MY EX-HUSBAND. >> Robin: HE'S BEEN THERE FOR YOU. >> YES, HE HAS. GAVING HIM A HARD TIME. HE'S BEEN GREAT. >> Robin: THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT. >> IT'S ONE THING WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDREN. THEN WHEN YOUR CHILDREN HAVE CHILDREN, WHOA. THIS LITTLE KID. LOOK AT THAT FACE. JUST PINCHING IT AND TOUCHING HIM ALL THE TIME. HE'S SO CUTE. GIVES ME ANOTHER REASON TO WANT TO LIVE THE LONG LIFE THAT I WANT TO LIVE. LIFE IS GOOD RIGHT NOW. >> Robin: I'M GLAD. TODAY'S A GOOD DAY. >> GREAT TO SEE YOU. >> Robin: I LOVE YOU. I USED TO HAVE THE LONG BACK HAND. >> TWO HANDED BACK HAND. >> Robin: RACKET, WILSON -- >> YOU NEEDED EXTRA LENGTH. >> Robin: ALL REMEMBER THE WOODEN BRACKET. >> RIGHT RIGHT. THE PRESSES. THE PRESS. THEY WOULD WARP. >> Robin: WE'RE REALLY AGING OURSELVES RIGHT NOW. >> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 50 YEARS AGO. >> Robin: THERE ARE A