We’ve all seen players fall prey to nasty on-court injuries. Serena Williams, although, hardly ever endured testing times as such, has unfortunately landed in medical trouble. The WTA star was diagnosed with a lump after undergoing an MRI in May. With fans worried, the American sensation aired a crucial announcement surrounding her branchial cleft cyst diagnosis. Don’t fret, it does seem like a ‘scientific mouthful’. However, its alarming growth inside her body prompts the question, what is it?

Classified as a congenital birth defect, more precisely as a set of underlying tissues in a neck grows unconventionally. While the visually seen ‘lump-like’ deformity is usually corrected in children, in some cases the defect’s underwhelming growth goes undetected. As per medical research, the cyst is benign – meaning it bores no cancerous properties. However, in extreme cases, the deformity can harbor malignant tumors, much like a rare case of a cancerous branchial cleft cyst found in 2012. The good news is, it is curable.

Although we don’t know much about Serena’s case yet, such cysts are generally surgically removable. It is generally advised by doctors to do so after the patient has received their initial antibiotic treatment to prevent infection. After minor surgery, the patient is kept under observation and is required to rest in a sanitized environment for subsequent days. For the uninitiated, this isn’t the first time Williams is battling a medical complication. At the time of her eldest daughter Olympia Ohanian’s birth in 2017, the WTA star underwent an emergency C-section that later bore several problems in the aftermath.

While the ‘lump’ has already troubled Williams enough – spending time away from family and confined to a hospital room dozed with antibiotics does that; the American sensation also missed out on a recent update that sent shockwaves in the community. Notably, Spaniard Rafael Nadal announced drawing the curtain on his illustrious two-decade-long career in an emotional statement. Surprised by the headline, the former World No. 1 dropped a message saying, “So many things I missed like @glamourmag Woman of the Year awards, @RafaelNadal retirement and I am still recovering, but getting better.” 

Later, the 23-time Grand Slam champion aired a real-time update on her medical status. After enduring a tedious procedure, Williams penned a detailed insight into how her medical concerns rose to a disconcerting rate.

Serena Williams underwent biopsy test amid ‘lump’ scare and medical complications

American superstar Serena Williams recently released a descriptive note on how her branchial cleft cyst diagnosis caused a cascade of medical troubles. Taking to her social media, the 43-year-old highlighted how the undetected ‘lump’ got discovered in her neck in May and later, started to grow in size. This, in turn, urged doctors to immediately remove the complication before it caused further trouble. Moreover, the former World No. 1 also posted a video on TikTok talking about her health while confined to a hospital room.

She wrote, “Back in May I found a lump showing on my neck. I immediately went to the doc got a mri and was told I have a brachial cyst. Have you ever heard of that? They said I don’t need to get it removed if I don’t want. So I did not get it but it kept growing. I decided to get more test and 3 test and one biopsy later everything is still negative but doctors advised I get it removed asap because it was the size of a small grapefruit and it could get infected or worse leak.”

With tensions rising, fans have already been startled by the latest updates. While Williams is embracing a positive attitude and looking to restore her health, our only hope is that the medical process doesn’t cause any future complications for the inarguable GOAT.