Tennis legend Serena Williams has revealed that she recently had a benign branchial cyst ‘the size of a small grapefruit’ removed from her neck.
The 43-year-old insists “everything is fine” as she shared the update from a hospital bed.
Williams revealed the procedure in a video on social media, saying she found a lump in her neck in May and in the resulting MRI exam she was told she didn’t need to have it removed if she didn’t want to.
Williams decided against it at first, “but it kept growing,” he said.
‘I missed so many things like the @glamourmag Women of the Year awards, @RafaelNadal’s retirement and I’m still recovering, but getting better. “Health always comes first,” Williams said in a separate post.
Williams posted a video on her TikTok detailing her procedure to remove a cyst from her neck.
Williams has been active in her two years off the court, including hosting the ESPYS in July.
‘In May I found a lump on my neck. I immediately went to the doctor, had an MRI, and was told I had a brachial cyst. Have you ever heard of that? Williams said in the video.
‘They said I don’t need it taken away if I don’t want to. So I didn’t get it but it kept growing. I decided to have more tests, and three tests and a biopsy later everything is still negative, but the doctors advised me to have it removed as soon as possible because it was the size of a small grapefruit and could become infected or, worse still, leak.’
‘So this is me taking it off. I feel very grateful and lucky that everything turned out well and, above all, I am healthy. I still made it to American Doll with Olympia as promised. And yes, everything is fine.’
Williams was seen last month on the ground during a Green Day concert in Los Angeles, running in a circle with other fans of the rock band, without looking deteriorated.
Williams has spent a lot of time with her husband, Alexis, and two daughters since retiring.
Williams just turned 43 in September and has been completely retired from tennis for two years since her swan song tournament at the 2022 US Open.
Williams is married to businessman Alexis Ohanian and the couple has two daughters, Olympia, 7, and Adira, 1.
