Serena Williams has revealed that she has used a weight loss drug to help her body transformation after having two children.
The tennis legend says she has struggled to control her weight since giving birth to her eldest daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017 and then her second daughter Adira River in August 2023. Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion and, although she retired from tennis in 2022, she still works out regularly.
Nevertheless, Williams decided she wanted to reduce her weight 18 months ago and turned to medication. She has been using Zepbound, a GLP-1-based drug that is similar to other brands like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
GLP-1 is short for glucagon-like peptide-1 and is a natural hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. She has opened up on her decision in an interview with People in which she explained her progress.
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“I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained,” the 43-year-old said. “It was crazy because I'd never been in a place like that in my life where I worked so hard, ate so healthy and could never get down to where I needed to be at.
“I had never taken shortcuts in my career and always worked really hard. I know what it takes to be the best. So it was very frustrating to do all the same things and never be able to change that number on the scale or the way my body looked.”
Williams has lost a remarkable 31 pounds (14kg) since starting on the drug, which is taken via weekly injections. She began taking it in early 2024, around six months after giving birth to Adira, who she shares with her husband Alexis Ohanian.
The American tennis star is now a paid spokesperson for health care company Ro, who make the drug, while Ohanian, who co-founded social media site Reddit, is also an investor.
She is now training for a half-marathon and spends plenty of time in the gym working out too. “I just can do more. I'm more active,” Williams added.
“My joints don't hurt as much. I just feel like something as simple as just getting down is a lot easier for me. And I do it a lot faster. I feel like I have a lot of energy and it's great. I just feel pretty good about it.”
Williams took the decision to use the weight loss drug, despite knowing about the stigma around them. “I've never felt that pressure to maintain a certain appearance,” she said.
“I always felt comfortable at any size, whether I was a lot heavier or not. I do feel like my body didn't like me at that weight. I had pain in my joints and pain in different areas just because of the extra weight that I'm not used to carrying since I had children.”
