nicole-gibbs

American tennis player Nicole Gibbs says she will miss the French Open because of surgery for salivary gland cancer.

The 26-year-old Gibbs wrote on Twitter that the procedure is scheduled for Friday and her goal is to return for Wimbledon qualifying in late June.

Quick update pic.twitter.com/NkODqVreVI

— Nicole Gibbs (@Gibbsyyyy) May 13, 2019

Gibbs, who was born in Ohio and is based in California, reached the third round at the 2014 U.S. Open and 2017 Australian Open. Her career-best ranking was 68th in 2016. She is currently 116th. She won NCAA singles and team titles at Stanford.

Gibbs tweeted Monday that a growth on the roof of her mouth was discovered at the dentist about a month ago. She says her surgeon is "confident that surgery alone will be sufficient treatment."