Serena Williams was trying hard to get back into shape following the birth of her first child, Olympia. But calls began to mount against the 23-time Grand Slam champion when she actually managed to get lean and nearly unrecognizable. When she shared her toned arms and washboard abs through Instagram posts, netizens threw in negative comments and blamed it all on Ozempic. Now, it was high time for Williams to respond to those comments. 

During a recent conversation with Vogue, Serena Williams confessed, “I’ve heard negative comments, along with a tremendous amount of positive comments, about my body my entire life. For lack of a better way to say it, I don’t really care what people are saying about my body anymore. But what is important to me is transparency.”

She reflected back on a scene from her HBO documentary showcasing her coach asking her to lose weight. But losing weight wasn’t easy, especially after she gave birth to little Olympia. And that’s when the GLP-1 drug, Zepbound, a type-2 diabetes medication now used by people looking to shed weight, came into her life through the telehealth company Ro, where her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is an investor. That being said, Serena Williams only took hold of the medication after her usual fitness routines bore no fruit.

She said, “My whole life is being in the gym, working out, running, training, HIIT training, dancing, every single thing you can think of. I would always get to a certain point on the scale, but I could never get below that. That’s when I decided that it was time to try something different and got on the GLP-1 with Ro.” It was, of course, a big decision for her, one that could potentially affect her relationship with her daughter. Hence, it was all the more important to be open about it.

Williams continued, “I’m not saying any of this lightly, which is why it’s so important to have an honest conversation about this topic. I’m the mom of two girls, and I wanted to be very honest about what I’m doing so they can always be the same with me and we can have an open relationship.” And in case you’re wondering how Serena Williams feels now that she has lost the lagging weight? Let’s hear it directly from the WTA GOAT, shall we?

Serena Williams weighs in on the effects of her epic weight loss

It wasn’t like Williams decided to administer Zepbound, the GLP-1 agonist, out of frustration or any similar emotion. It was actually a well-thought-out decision. After all, she’s someone who stands by her “no shortcuts” mindset. But how does she feel after shedding the excess weight? During a conversation with People Magazine, Williams revealed that she felt great. She confessed, “I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally.”

And the credit certainly goes to the GLP-1 agonist. Williams stated, “GLP-1 helped me enhance everything that I was already doing — eating healthy and working out, whether it was as a professional athlete at the top level of tennis or just going to the gym every day. So I think that it’s important for everyone to hear my story. And I feel like there’s a lot of people that can relate.”

Of course, Serena Williams wasn’t the only one who took the aid of medications to lose weight. The NBA Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT host, Charles Barkley, also shed around 60 lbs. He used tirzepatide to help him do so. Even Oprah Winfrey once praised GLP-1 agonists. Yes, she has personally experienced the magic of the medications. But for Williams, these were nothing more than supplements to catalyze her weight loss through traditional methods. What do you think of Williams’ inclination towards the anti-diabetic medication?