Serena Williams Explains Why Weight Loss Came After Retirement

Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, has revealed why she struggled to lose weight during her tennis career and how retirement opened a new chapter in her health journey.

Despite her intense training and strict diet, Williams said she was never able to reach her desired weight while competing.

‘I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained,’ she told PEOPLE.

‘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.’

She admitted the experience was frustrating, especially for someone who had built her career on discipline and hard work.

‘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.’

Now 44 and a mother of two, Williams recently unveiled a slimmer physique. She explained that her breakthrough came after turning to Ro!, a weight-loss drug she promoted in a Super Bowl advertisement. The GLP-1 product helped her shed 31 pounds (14kg), and eventually 34 pounds (15kg) in total.

According to Williams, the treatment not only supported her weight loss but also eased stress on her knees, stabilized blood sugar, and lowered cholesterol.