Serena Williams had a benign cyst removed from her neck and “everything is fine”

NEW YORK – Serena Williams said she had a benign branchial cyst “the size of a small grapefruit” removed from her throat and “everything is fine.”

The 43-year-old retired tennis star posted on social media on Wednesday that she found a lump on her neck in May, underwent an MRI scan and was told she didn't have to have it removed if she did don't want. So she didn't do it then, “but it continued to grow,” Williams said.

After further tests, including a biopsy that came back negative for cancer, Williams said her doctors told her she should undergo a procedure.

Sharing a video of herself in a hospital bed, she wrote: “So I’m removing it. I’m so grateful and happy that everything worked out, and most importantly, I’m healthy.”

In a separate social media post, she said she was “still recovering but doing better. Health always comes first.”

Williams announced her retirement – she famously opted out of that term and instead said she would “develop” from professional tennis – shortly before playing in the 2022 US Open, her final tournament.

She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by a woman in the sport's professional era, and another 14 in doubles with her older sister Venus. Serena Williams spent more than 300 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings and won four Olympic gold medals.