Former US tennis player Serena Williams graced the red carpet at 'The Prelude to the Olympics' held at The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris on July 25, 2024, just before the 2024 Paris Olympics. — AFP file
Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, disclosed on Wednesday that she had a grapefruit-sized cyst removed from her neck and is recovering well. The 43-year-old, who was once the world's top-ranked female tennis player, shared in a Tik Tok video that she discovered a lump on the right side of her neck in May, and an MRI revealed it to be a brachial cyst.
"I am still in the process of recovery, but I am getting better. Health always takes precedence," Williams posted on X. She did not opt for immediate removal of the cyst but decided to undergo surgery after it grew larger and she underwent multiple tests and a biopsy.
"I found this substantial mass on my neck. I was quite frightened by it," she said in the video. "I had all sorts of tests done. Everything came back negative. It turned out I had a cyst, specifically a brachial cyst." Consequently, she had it removed. "It was so large. It was the size of a grapefruit and it was quite painful coming out." "They had to insert a drain because it was so extensive, but everything turned out well, and I am really pleased to have worked with some excellent doctors." She expressed a mix of fear and excitement about moving forward with her healing process.
The video concluded with Williams enjoying a promised shopping trip with her daughter Olympia post-surgery. "I feel incredibly thankful and fortunate that everything worked out, and most importantly, I am healthy," Williams wrote in the video's caption. "I still managed to go shopping with Olympia as promised." And yes, all is well.
Williams clinched her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open and her last at the 2017 Australian Open. She amassed seven Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, six US Opens, and three French Open titles before retiring after the 2022 US Open.
