Tennis icon Serena Williams has revealed she underwent surgery to remove an arm cyst that had grown to “the size of a small grapefruit”.
Williams, 43, who retired from the sport after the 2022 US Open, discovered a lump on her neck in May and immediately went to the doctor for tests.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion, widely considered the greatest tennis player in history, was initially told surgery was not necessary.
However, when the cyst grew significantly larger, a “humiliated” Williams was encouraged to go under the knife to eliminate the risk of leakage or infection.
“In May, I discovered a lump on my neck. I immediately went to the doctor, had an MRI and was told I had a cyst in my arm. Have you ever heard of it? – the American TikTok wrote further.
“They said I didn't have to remove it if I didn't want to. So I didn't get it, but it kept growing.
“I decided to do more tests and then one biopsy, and everything was still negative, but the doctors advised me to remove it as soon as possible because it was the size of a small grapefruit and could become infected or, worse, leak.”
Williams shared a video of her trip with her 1.8 million TikTok followers and confirmed that everything was fine after the surgery.
“I'm the one taking it down,” she added alongside footage from her hospital bed.
“I am very grateful and fortunately everything worked out and, above all, I am healthy.
“As promised, I made it to American Doll with Olympia. And yes, everything is fine.
On her official X website, Williams stated that she was disappointed to have missed out Rafael Nadal announced his retirement while undergoing rehabilitation, but stressed that “her health is always first.”
“I missed so many things like the Glamor Woman of the Year awards, Rafael Nadal's retirement (crying emoji) and I'm still recovering but feeling better,” she wrote on Twitter.
“Health always comes first.”
Earlier this summer, Williams fans were dreaming of a stunning return to tennis when she tweeted that she was “ready to hit the ball again.” The message garnered over 8,000 retweets and 46,000 likes.
However, Williams has no plans to retire anytime soon as the American wants to spend time with her family after a grueling 27-year career on the WTA Tour.
“I don't want it to end, but at the same time I'm ready for what's next,” she said after retiring.
“I started a family. I want to expand this family.
“Perhaps the best word to describe what I do is evolution. “I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis and into other things that are important to me.”
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