"I was in a lot of pain" - Venus Williams shares emotional moments from 'life-changing surgery' 1 year ago, thanks fiancé Andrea Preti for his support

Days after her return to the DC Open in Washington, Venus Williams posted throwback moments from one year ago, July 2024, when she had a myomectomy. It is a surgical procedure to remove uterine fibroids. The surgery was performed by Dr. Tara Shirazian at NYU Langone.

On Thursday, July 31, Williams posted a series of emotional Instagram stories, where she documents the support she received during a challenging period in her life. In one story, she shared a photo from her hospital bed, holding hands with her longtime boyfriend, Andrea Preti. She wrote:

"Thanks for encouraging me when I was afraid to make the right decision and get this life-changing surgery."

In another image, Williams praised her older sister Isha Price, calling her the one who's "always taking care of her little sisters," and tagged Serena Williams and Lyndrea Price as well. Venus Williams also posted a zoomed-in selfie and tagged her medical team and loved ones. She wrote:

"Me trying to be back to training right after surgery 🤦🏾‍♀️ I’m not even in my right mind!"

Venus Williams' Instagram stories (@venuswilliams)

Venus Williams made a heartfelt post exactly one year after having life-changing surgery

A year ago, Venus Williams suffered extreme pain due to non-cancerous growths, resulting in nausea and episodes where she "couldn’t get off the ground." On Thursday, Williams posted on Instagram, sharing photos from the hospital and the support she received from her loved ones.

Williams wrote about her experience:

"I was told I was inoperable. 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."

Williams also said that she is posting about this experience so that she can inform other women who are going through something similar. She also thanked the medical team at NYU Langone for a swift recovery that helped her return to this year's DC Open.

In the post, Venus Williams also mentions that she now looks forward to participating in the upcoming US Open in New York. In the recently concluded DC Open, Williams was defeated by Magdalena Frech in the second round of women's singles.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar