Venus Williams reflects on harrowing health battle a year on from surgery: 'I was told I could bleed to death'
The 45-year-old Williams, who recently confirmed her engagement to her actor boyfriend Andrea Preti, took a 16-month break from tennis due to the issue, returning to the court back in July.
Now, for the first time, Williams has revealed just how much her condition was impacting her life away from tennis in a moving Instagram post 12 months on from her operation in New York.
'On this day 1 year ago I was having surgery, an open myomectomy to remove fibroids and a large focal adenomyoma that was imbedded in the muscle of my uterus,' Williams wrote on Instagram.
'What a difference a year makes! I played my first tournament in over 16 months and I am now preparing for the US Open. This post is in celebration of the last day of fibroid awareness month. There can be happy endings!'
Williams won her first singles game since March 2024 at the Citi Open in Washington D.C. in July, the latest landmark step on her road to recovery.
The 45-year-old took a 16-month break from tennis, before returning to the court back in July
She told reporters at the tournament that the difference in her health is 'night and day' from the summer of 2024.
But Williams told her 2 million followers on Instagram that she was now opening up her journey to recovery to reassure other women with the same condition.
'I was told I was inoperable,' she wrote. 'I was told I could bleed to death on the table.
'I was told to get a surrogate and forget the hope to carry my own children. I was misdiagnosed.
'I went untreated for years and years and years. It's so important to advocate for your health! I suffered from severe anemia, debilitating pain, excessive bleeding and abnormally frequent menstrual cycles for many years. It affected my tennis and the trajectory of my career.'
'I told my story so other women don't have to go through this and so they can get better sooner. I play tennis now because I can play healthier than ever, it is a dream come true!'
It promises to be an emotional return to Queens for Williams later in August at the competition she first won in 2000.
Williams confirmed her engagement to her Italian boyfriend Preti on her return to the game in DC, telling the crowd after her win: 'My fiancé is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing.
'There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time.
'Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this and it's wonderful to be here. He's never seen me play.'
The couple were first linked last summer when they were on vacation on the Amalfi coast.
Speculation over their engagement had been rife for months - Williams was seen practicing with a huge ring back in February.
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