23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams revealed Wednesday that she had a grapefruit-sized cyst removed and is doing well during her recovery.
The 43-year-old former world number one women’s tennis player said in a Tik Tok video that she found a lump in May on the right side of her neck and an MRI showed she had a brachial cyst.
“I’m still recovering, but I’m getting better. Health always comes first,” Williams posted on X.
Williams didn’t have the cyst removed immediately, but after it grew and she underwent several tests and a biopsy, she underwent surgery to remove it.
“I found this big mass on my neck. I was mortified by it,” she said in the video. “I had tests done. Everything you could imagine. Everything was negative. Turns out I had what’s called a cyst, a brachial cyst to be exact.
“So I had to have it taken out. It was so big. It was the size of a grapefruit and it hurt a little to get out.”
“They had to put in a drain because it was too much, but everything went well and I feel really happy to have worked with great doctors.
“I’m a little scared here, but I’m looking forward to the next steps of healing and recovery.”
The end of her video showed Williams with her daughter Olympia on a promised post-surgery shopping trip.
“I feel so grateful and lucky that everything went well and most importantly that I am healthy,” Williams wrote in a caption for the video. “I still arrived at American Doll with Olympia as promised.
“And yes, everything is fine.”
Williams won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open and her last at the 2017 Australian Open.
She won seven titles at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon, six at the US Open and three at the French Open before retiring after the 2022 US Open.
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