Legendary tennis athlete Serena Williams is now recuperating after the removal of a large cyst in her neck.
The athlete shared that she had a benign branchial cyst removed that was the size of a small grapefruit. She then declared that “all is OK”.
Williams stated: “I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I’m healthy.”
During her career, Serena has won 73 WTA Tour titles and approximately $100 million. She found a tumour on her neck last May and was informed by her physicians that surgery to remove the cyst was not required. However, her medical staff advised her to get the cyst removed since it could become infected or it might leak in the future. Serena decided to have the surgery before her condition became more serious.
For more than 300 weeks, Williams held the top spot in the world rankings and achieved 23 Grand Slam victories. Her last competition was the 2022 US Open.
Andy Murray says he is preparing to be fit for Wimbledon because he wants ‘closure’ at the All England Club before his retirement.
The athlete has no plans to play beyond the summer, and his Wimbledon preparations have been hampered by a back problem that necessitated surgery. Murray expressed: “I don’t think there’s one thing that I’m hoping for. When it comes to the end, I don’t know, maybe a bit of closure… I just want the opportunity to play one more time out there, hopefully on Centre Court, and feel that buzz.”
He added: “Last year, I wasn’t planning on it being my last year on the tour. I wanted to come back and play again, whereas this year I have no plans to do that.”
On Murray’s health
Murray had a cyst near his spinal cord removed eight days ago, which was causing nerve pain in his right leg. The former world number one claims the place where he had the surgery is not uncomfortable, but he still does not have complete feeling in his leg.
He returned to the practice courts on Sunday (June 30) after striking at Wimbledon for the first time since the procedure. He played a practice set with fellow Briton Jack Pinnington-Jones.
“It’s getting better every single day. I want to give it every single chance that I can to get there… I’m going to play another set again tomorrow. I’m doing some physical testing in the morning to see how far off I am from a physical perspective… Then I will probably make a decision tomorrow evening after that,” Murray said.
Sorana Cirstea has weighed in on the doping allegations surrounding Simona Halep and Serena Williams’ enigmatic remarks on X (formerly Twitter).
Simona Halep recently faced damning doping charges, resulting in her receiving a four-year ban from tennis, as declared by the ITIA. Her violations included testing positive for the illicit substance Roxadustat last year and discrepancies found in her athlete biological passport (ABP), leading to a second charge.
The ITIA officially imposed the provisional ban on Halep in October 2023, effective from October 7, 2022, until October 6, 2026. Despite her protestations, Halep remains optimistic about her situation, claiming that the ITIA unjustly accused her. She maintains that her positive AAF results were due to contaminated nutritional supplements containing Roxadustat. However, her evidence and testimony were disregarded by the ITIA.
Patrick Mouratoglou also posted a statement in X that supports Halep’s claims against the ITIA.
Serena’s cryptic post
Serena Williams, however, seems to have a different opinion on the matter. On September 13, Williams posted a sentence that only contained five words but carried so much weight.
“8 is a better number.”
Four years ago, Serena Williams and Simona Halep faced off for the Wimbledon title, and to everyone’s amazement, Halep triumphed 6-2, 6-2 to deny Williams what would have been her 8th Wimbledon title.
Williams’ fans on X has since defended her, saying that she had the right to reclaim the title if the allegations are true.
Sorana Cirstea’s take
Cirstea, the 41-year old tennis veteran and fellow Romanian, has also spoken out on the matter. She called out Williams for her arrogance and defended Halep, saying that the tennis star would never ‘consciously dope’
“Serena as a player was extraordinarily good. As a person, she always had this arrogance. She didn’t accept when someone could beat her or took a title from her,” she said.
“I know Simona. I don’t think she ever consciously doped. This suspension is for an innocent person. I was afraid to take anything, I was afraid to take an aspirin. I’m maybe a little paranoid, but it’s no joke. It’s every athlete’s nightmare,” she added.
Sorana Cirstea believes Simona Halep is innocent:
“I know Simona. I don't think she ever consciously doped. This suspension is for an innocent person…”
Arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Serena Williams not only captivated us with her on-court heroics but also revolutionized the sport of tennis, changing our perception of it forever.
And that was why it came as no surprise when it was announced that the Hall of Fame would be opening its doors to Serena Williams, along with eight other women who’ve also made remarkable changes in all walks of life, in 2024.
The WTA also paraded this announcement on their website, quoting what the Hall of Fame said of their candidates in its opening sentences: “The 2024 inductee class has broken barriers, challenged the status quo, and left an impact on history.”
WTA Legend and 23-time major champion @serenawilliams will be inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024.
Upon hearing the news, Williams’ supporters quickly scrambled onto the comments section under WTA’s post on X, saying that they “knew it was coming”, that it was “long overdue,” and that they “can’t wait” for it to happen next year.
The induction ceremony, which was formerly held at the Seneca Falls Hall, is set to relocate to New York City and will be broadcast nationwide on public television, according to an article published by 13Wham. March is the scheduled month for the event; however, a specific day has not yet been disclosed.
Williams’ memoir and fashion icon award
Last month, the former World No. 1 and 23-time women’s singles grand slam champion announced that she had signed a contract with publisher Penguin Random House for two books, one of which will be her memoir.
Although the title of the book has not yet been announced, a Forbes article stated that Williams will recount the events of her upbringing, life, and her 27-year professional career. In addition, Williams will also divulge the tale of how she met her spouse, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, how she raised their two kids, Olympia and Adira, and share her motherhood experience.
And just a few weeks after announcing her book deal, Williams broke off from the rails of athlete accolades and clinched this year’s ‘Fashion Icon Award.’
During her acceptance speech for the award, Williams expressed her admiration for the fashion industry and its influence on the sport of tennis.
“I designed skirts out of denim and I wore purple tutus and bodysuits and put beads in my hair, and braids,” she said, via BBC. “It was really just a fun time for me.”
British tennis sensation and the surprise 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu has come a long way down. She is currently ranked 133rd in the world following hand and ankle surgeries. “I’ve been very high and very low,” as she told The Times. But a comeback is definitely on the cards.
Recently photographed working out in a gym, she said on her Instagram that it was ‘nice to be reintroduced’ to the equipment after several months away from physical exertion due to her injuries.
She was forced to sit out the French Open and Wimbledon after surgery on her hands and her ankle.
She had been ailing earlier, too. But, despite suffering from ailments, she won five out of 10 matches in 2023, including an amazing run to the BNP Paribas Open fourth round at Indian Wells, where she lost to defending champion Iga Swiatek in March.
Raducanu’s spirit remained unbroken despite a difficult defeat against Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April.
However, she was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open later in April due to an injury on her right hand. That’s when she decided on surgery.
“I tried my best to manage my pain and play through it”, but she couldn’t any more, she said, speaking from her hospital bed in May.
She missed most of the clay and grass court seasons due to injuries, which caused her ranking to slip to 133rd. She also split with her coach, Sebastian Sachs, which added to the difficulties. Nevertheless, she is optimistic about the future.
Emma Raducanu now at what stage of recovery?
The stubborn 20-year-old tennis star is recovering well. Her engrossing films demonstrate how she uses red light treatment to promote muscle repair and lessen inflammation while she trains assiduously.
Here’s a look back at her recent record.
Tournament
Result
Opponent
Citi Open (Quarter-finals)
(August 2022)
Lost 7-6, 6-1
Liudmila Samsonova
Canadian Open (1st Round) (August 2022)
Lost 7-6, 6-2
Camila Giorgi
Western & Southern Open (August 2022)
Defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 6-4
Serena Williams
Defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5
Victoria Azarenka
Lost to Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4
Jessica Pegula
Now she is hoping to do better and wow the world again on the WTA tour though she is likely to miss the US Open.
Emma Raducanu’s agent, Max Eisenbud, expects her to win more Grand Slams.
Speaking to The Tennis Podcast, he said: “You don’t just accidentally win the US Open the way she did, you have to be great to do what she did.
“And I think she will settle and things will get more calm for her and I think she’ll make more deep runs and I think that she’ll win more Grand Slams when it’s all said and done.”
He added: “Do I think that she will be in the top five of the world for 20 years?
“I don’t think so, I don’t think she’s that, but I think she will win more Grand Slams, I think she will compete to be in the top when things settle down.”
Tennis legend Billie Jean King still marvels at the way Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open.
“When Emma Raducanu won, it was fantastic,” she told Sky Sports. “Just think about this, she won 10 matches in a row, she did not lose a set. She won every single one of those 10 matches in straight sets. I don’t think anyone comes close to that.
“As she gets older, no matter what happens to her life she’ll always have this US Open title – always and forever. And the way she did it: Wow! It’s amazing.”
Williams and Jankovic reacts to Halep’s four year ban
The world certainly hasn’t been kind to two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep lately, as her dynasty abruptly ended when the ITIA ruled her guilty of violating anti-doping regulations.
As a consequence, the 31-year old was sentenced to a four year ban.
Since then, news of her provisional exile has been the talk of the town, with many sports fans and figures either slamming or cheering her on social media. Her previous nemeses on the tennis court, Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic, however, were on the former side. On their respective X (formerly Twitter) accounts, they posted cryptic and snide remarks that were seemingly directed at Halep.
On September 13, shortly after Halep’s suspension was confirmed, Williams posted a cryptic one-sentence post on her X account:
While this may have been entirely about something else, fans are convinced that this post alludes to Halep’s doping case.
Four years ago, the two went head to head for the Wimbledon title, and to everyone’s surprise, Halep had beaten Williams 6-2, 6-2, denying her what could have been her eighth Wimbledon title. This was also a historic moment for Halep, as she had just captured her first championship at the All-England club and became the first Romanian to do so.
So far, there have been two interpretations of William’s post. One is that Halep should also be stripped of her titles, forfeit her Wimbledon title, and give it to its rightful owner, Williams. The second is that Halep should have been given an eight-year ban instead of four.
Although some fans are now raising their eyebrows over Serena’s post, some X users were quick to defend her:
@jowanabueser: “Serena is allowed to throw all the shade because she has been the subject of doping rumors for years and never once tested positive. Hell, she has undergone random drug tests more than any of her peers. And stop calling Halep her rival. 24 to 2 is not a rivalry.”
Serena Williams is allowed to throw all the shade because she has been the subject of doping rumors for years and never once tested positive. Hell, she has undergone random drug tests more than any of her peers.
@Marcuucram: “Shock of the day is definitely NOT Serena Williams showing her true colours. To my mind, she was never a great champion in terms of attitude on and off the court. Today I am saddened but by no means surprised to confirm my perception of her feeble humanity.
Shock of the day is definitely NOT Serena Williams showing her true colours.
To my mind, she was never a great champion in terms of attitude on and off the court.
Meanwhile, Jelena Jankovic, has also been involved in the issue lately. An X user, @Brar_JSB, posted a message in the words of Jankovic:Jelena Jankovic on Simona Halep’s 4 year ban:
“People refused to admit it but I always knew I was the rightful winner of Indian Wells 2015. Simona’s ban today proves it. Shoutout to my fans for keeping #JankovicWonIW15 relevant”
Jelena Jankovic on Simona Halep’s 4 year ban:
“People refused to admit it but I always knew I was the rightful winner of Indian Wells 2015. Simona’s ban today proves it. Shoutout to my fans for keeping #JankovicWonIW15 relevant” pic.twitter.com/wdxucunzKw
And, while this message couldn’t really have come from Jankovic herself, it perfectly captures the sentiments of fans who have been rallying against Halep in the past few days.
