Serena Williams reveals she had a benign branchial cyst, approximately the size of a small grapefruit, removed from her neck, and she reports that 'all is OK.' The retired tennis star, who recently celebrated her 43rd birthday, shared on social media on Wednesday that she discovered a lump on her neck in May and subsequently underwent an MRI exam. Initially, she opted against surgery after being informed it was not necessary, but the cyst continued to grow.
Following additional tests, including a biopsy that came back negative for cancer, her doctors advised her to undergo a procedure. Williams posted a video of herself in the hospital, stating: 'So this is me removing it. I am feeling so grateful and fortunate that everything worked out, and most importantly, I’m healthy.' In a separate post, she mentioned that she is 'still recovering, but getting better.' She also noted that she missed Rafael Nadal's retirement while undergoing treatment for the cyst.
Williams announced her 'evolution' away from professional tennis shortly before the 2022 US Open. Although she has never used the term 'retirement,' she has not participated in a tournament since. Throughout her career, she won 23 grand slam titles in singles, the most by a woman in the sport's professional era, and added another 14 in doubles alongside her older sister Venus. Serena spent over 300 weeks ranked No. 1 in the WTA rankings and earned four Olympic gold medals.
