Serena Williams says she had a benign cyst removed from her neck and ‘all is OK’

NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams says she had a benign branchial cyst “the scale of a small grapefruit” faraway from her neck and “all is OK.”

The retired tennis star, who turned 43 final month, posted Wednesday on social media that she discovered a lump on her neck in Could, had an MRI examination, and was advised she didn’t have to get it eliminated if she didn’t wish to. So she didn’t then, “nevertheless it saved rising,” Williams stated.

After extra assessments, together with a biopsy that was adverse for most cancers, Williams stated, her docs stated she ought to have a process.

She confirmed video of herself in a hospital mattress and wrote: “So that is me eradicating it. I’m feeling so grateful, and lucky the whole lot labored out, and most of all I’m wholesome.”

In a separate social media publish, she stated she is “nonetheless recovering, however getting higher. Well being at all times comes first.”

Williams introduced her retirement — famously eschewing that time period and saying as a substitute she was “evolving” away from skilled tennis — shortly earlier than taking part in within the 2022 U.S. Open, her final event.

She gained 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, essentially the most by a lady within the sport’s skilled period, and one other 14 in doubles together with her older sister Venus. Serena Williams spent greater than 300 weeks at No. 1 within the WTA rankings and picked up 4 Olympic gold medals.

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