Serena Williams revealed on Tuesday that she recently had a gill cyst “the size of a small grapefruit” removed from her neck and is on the mend.
In a video posted to TikTok, the 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed that she discovered a mass on her neck in May and detailed her treatment and subsequent recovery.
“I've been tested for everything you can imagine, and they've all been negative. And then it turns out I had a cyst, more accurately called a gill cyst,” Williams, 43, said after recording approximately He spoke in a two-minute video. From her hospital bed.
cleveland clinic Explain branchial cleft cyst as “a small fluid-filled sac that looks like a lump under the skin on the side of the neck.”
The cyst “continued to grow,” so Williams opted for further tests and a biopsy, which came back negative. Doctors advised her to remove the mass to avoid the risk of infection or leakage.
“Naturally, I went through treatment and it got so bad that I had to have a drain put in, but everything went well. I'm really happy to be working with great doctors.” It's a little scary here “I'm excited to take the next step in my healing,” Williams said in a TikTok video.
Williams, who shares daughters Olympia, 7, and Adria, 1, with husband Alexis Ohanian, filmed her journey home from the hospital.
“I'm a little tired, but I'm so grateful to be out,” she said in the video, which ended with a trip to the doll store with Olympia.
“Everything went well,” Williams expressed gratitude in her TikTok caption.
“I feel [sic] I'm so grateful and lucky that everything went well and most importantly I'm healthy,” the caption read.
Williams last appeared on the tennis circuit at the 2022 US Open, where she lost in the third round to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic.
