Serena Williams had to undergo multiple surgeries after childbirth

In a cover story for the fashion magazine, Vogue, it was disclosed that Serena was unable to move out of bed for six weeks after giving birth to baby girl Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr through C-section.

Published : Jan 11, 2018 00:08 IST

American tennis player Serena Williams
American tennis player Serena Williams
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American tennis player Serena Williams

Serena Williams has revealed she suffered major health complications, including the dreaded relapse of pulmonary embolism that almost brought an end to Serena's career in 2011.

In a cover story for the fashion magazine, Vogue , it was disclosed that Serena was unable to move out of bed for six weeks after giving birth to baby girl Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr through C-section. A slew of complications saw her undergoing multiple operations.  The day after giving birth, Serena complained of breathlessness and feared the return of pulmonary embolism.

Initially ignoring her call for a CT scan and opting for ultrasound, the medical team found Serena's self-diagnosis of her condition to be true. Several small blood clots had settled in her lungs. Minutes later she was on the drip. 

Soon after, "her fresh C-section wound popped open from her intense coughing spells  caused by the pulmonary embolism, and when she returned to surgery, they found that a large hematoma had flooded her abdomen, the result of a medical catch-22 in which the potentially lifesaving blood thinner caused hemorrhaging at the site of her C-section. " She had to undergo another operation to have a filter inserted into her vein, it was revealed. 

Support from her tennis family

If Stanislas Wawrinka sent in gifts, Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Angelique Kerber sent in endearing messages to keep her in good spirit.  Daddy Djokovic, meanwhile, flooded her with links of articles to propagate the idea of all-natural living! 

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