NEW YORK — Tennis legend Serena Williams spent her life on the court taking — and making — incredible shots for more than two decades. Now, she is speaking publicly about shots she has been taking away from the spotlight and how they have changed her life, and her body.
Williams broke her silence about her weight loss journey, revealing she used medication to help her lose 31 pounds.
“They say GLP-1s for weight loss is a shortcut; it’s not. It’s science after kids. It’s the medicine my body needed,” Williams said.
The 43-year-old tennis star, who has won 23 Grand Slams, says she struggled with weight after giving birth to her first child, Alexis, in 2017, and then again, when Adira was born in 2023.
Williams told People Magazine, “I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained.”
After she was done breastfeeding, Williams turned to telehealth company Ro for GLP-1 injections.
“These GLP-1 drugs help our body regulate how much we’re eating by essentially signaling to our brains that we’re full, and they help to regulate blood sugar and slow digestion,” said emergency medicine Dr. Stephanie Widmer.
Williams says now, she feels better than ever with more energy and less joint pain.
She told People, “GLP-1 helped me enhance everything that I was already doing, eating healthy and working out.”
Williams says she has never felt pressured to maintain a certain appearance, but with millions commenting on her body, it was important to teach body positivity to her daughters, saying, “I feel like you should love yourself at any size and any look.”
“So important, not just, you know, to role model body positivity and self-confidence for our children, but also for ourselves. And it’s really, you know, it’s not just the way you look in the mirror, but it’s being the healthiest version of yourself and really emphasizing on health,” Widmer said.
As if being one of the greatest athletes of all time was not enough, Williams says she is training for a half marathon.
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