Serena Williams Has Large Benign Cyst Removed From Neck [Video]

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Retired tennis legend Serena Williams has had a cyst on her neck “the size of a grapefruit” surgically removed and is in recovery, she announced Wednesday on social media.

In May, “I found this big mass on my neck,” Williams, 43, said. “I was mortified by it and I got tests done — everything you can imagine. Everything was negative, and it turns out I had what they called a cyst, a branchial cyst to be exact.”

These growths are benign, and originate early in development but can arise at any age.

According to the National Library of Medicine, branchial cysts “comprise approximately one-third of congenital neck masses. They are benign lesions.”

In her social media posting, Williams is shown recovering from her surgery with a drain attached to her neck to collect remaining fluid.

“They had to put a drain in it because it was …