NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� says she had a benign branchial cyst 鈥渢he size of a small grapefruit鈥� removed from her neck and 鈥渁ll is OK.鈥�
, who turned 43 last month, posted Wednesday that she found a lump on her neck in May, had an MRI exam, and was told she didn't need to get it removed if she didn't want to. So she didn't then, 鈥渂ut it kept growing,鈥� Williams said.
After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure.
She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: 鈥淪o this is me removing it. I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I鈥檓 healthy.鈥�
In a , she said she is 鈥渟till recovering, but getting better. Health always comes first.鈥�
Williams announced her retirement 鈥� famously eschewing that term and saying instead she was 鈥渆volving鈥� away from professional tennis 鈥� shortly before , her last tournament.
She won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, 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 collected four Olympic gold medals.
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AP tennis:
The Associated Press
