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Serena Williams is receiving daily blood thinning injections to
get rid of the clots that are still in her lungs, the former world number one
revealed on Wednesday.

In her first public appearance since she underwent emergency
treatment at a Los Angeles hospital for a pulmonary embolism, Williams
described the experience as “the scariest moment in my life” but said she was
on the road to recovery and hoping to make comeback. “I had swelling in my leg
which is a tell tale sign of embolism and I could not breath,” Williams told
the Today show on Wednesday. “I remember thinking, I’m walking but I cannot
breathe, that forced me to the emergency room.”

Williams said she had no idea of how ill she really was until
doctors discovered the life-threatening clots during a CAT scan. “Mine went
from my leg to my lung. It travelled fast,” she said. “I still have several
clots in my lung and they are still there. They have to eventually dissolve.
I’m taking it a day at a time.” Williams has not played competitively since
winning last year’s Wimbledon championship in July. Shortly after the victory
she cut her foot on broken glass at a restaurant in Germany.

Possible return

The American has had two operations on her foot since then but
recently developed a haematoma, which she believes was caused by the
combination of her prolonged break and frequent flights. “Because I’m on blood
thinners and on the injections…I must have hit something,” she said.
“Usually, your blood naturally clots around it (but) since I was on blood
thinners it wasn’t able to clot. So what started as a golf ball ended up being
a grapefruit in my stomach.”

Williams has won 13 grand slam singles titles during her glittering career
but has slipped to 11th place on the world rankings during her extended
absence. The 29-year-old said she was recovering from the scare at her
Californian home but was confident of regaining full fitness and returning to
the courts later this year. “I’m feeling better every day,” she said. “Luckily
enough I was able to catch it soon enough that my career won’t be affected. I
love tennis and now, more than anything, I have so much to look forward to.”