Serena experienced 'scariest moment'

Serena Williams called her recent medical emergency the "scariest moment" of her life during a "Today" show interview Wednesday but said her career "won't be affected" and hoped to return to the tennis tour this summer.

Absent from competition since winning Wimbledon last summer, Williams, 29, reportedly has been dealing with several health issues since then, but had not spoken publicly until Wednesday. She said that on Feb. 18, she experienced difficulty breathing and had "a lot of swelling in my legs, which really is a telltale sign of an embolism."

She said doctors found "several blood clots" in her lungs, but she appeared at red-carpet Oscar parties a week later. "I had been through so much," she told "Today" host Matt Lauer. "I really was kind of low on energy [but wanted to] do something to get my spirits up. I wasn't doing so well mentally . . . I was feeling terrible."

The following day, Feb. 28, she said a large hematoma -- a gathering of blood under the skin -- was removed from her stomach. Williams said there was a connection between the clots and a cut she suffered on her foot shortly after Wimbledon, leading to more than one reported medical procedure.

Williams, a 12-time major tournament champion, withdrew from several competition commitments since Wimbledon, including the U.S. and Australian Open championships and a round of Fed Cup play with the U.S. team.

Despite her absence, her world ranking remains high, at No. 11.

"I'm on blood thinner injections," Williams said. "I inject myself twice a day. I'm just taking it one day at a time. My lungs are fairly healthy and I'm on the road to recovering."

She said she is "not doing much. I really haven't left the house recently," though there was a published report that she spoke at a Las Vegas convention two days after her hospitalization.