It’s been three years since Serena Williams hung up her racket. After two decades of dominance, with 23 Grand Slams and 73 tour titles, she truly left an unmatched mark on the court. But even legends face struggles. Serena dealt with scrutiny over her aggressive play and her looks. She never shied away from speaking out about it. Back in 2016, she said, “I love my body, and I would never change anything about it.” But that wasn’t always the mindset.

Talking with her sister Venus on X Originals, Serena was blown away by Venus’s wisdom. Venus shared what it really takes to be successful in sports: “In sport, to be a champion, you have to have brutal honesty. If you’re not honest with yourself and completely open, you cannot hide from yourself. You can’t pretend, you can’t shut that part off.” Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, couldn’t agree more.

Adding her own perspective, Serena Williams made a tough confession about her old self-talk: “‘You were too big, and you needed to be lighter, and you needed to have an opportunity to run faster,’” she recalled. “I mean, those were the talks I had to have with myself later. But you have to be honest with yourself, right? If you can’t, no one else can.”

Over the years, Serena has been a leading voice for body positivity. Speaking to Time Magazine in 2016, she said she learned to love herself and tune out the critics. “I know I get flack for my physique, and it has been a struggle to love my body, but now curves are in and I’m happier [with] myself,” she said. “Women face so many impossible ideals. It’s important for me to get across that there’s more than one way to look amazing.”

Ever since becoming a mom of two, Serena Williams has been laser-focused on her fitness journey. After welcoming her second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, in August 2023, she began sharing her postpartum weight loss story with fans online. Last year brought plenty of feel-good moments—like in July, when she finally slipped into a Valentino denim midi skirt after several tries, and again in October, when she showed off a floral wraparound dress that fit with ease. Each post radiated her joy as she marked these small but powerful victories.

But Serena has kept it real about the tougher moments too. Earlier today, she posted her frustration straight to X, writing, “I can’t take anymore negativity and lies. And that’s why I won’t get on scales anymore… Can you relate?” It was an unfiltered glimpse into the ups and downs of her journey, proving that even while celebrating progress, she isn’t afraid to call out the struggles along the way.

And while she’s opening up about her journey with fitness and body positivity now. It’s also got her caught up in some drama with her former coach speaks up on.

Serena Williams’ ex-coach shares his perspective on her weight-loss journey.

It all started in July when Serena dropped a striking washroom selfie on her stories with the simple caption, “Bathroom selfie.” But this was no ordinary mirror snap. In an all-black look oozing power, the 23-time major champion looked nearly unrecognizable, glowing with a strength that could light up Centre Court. At an age when most slow down, Serena looked ready for battle: ageless, fearless, unstoppable.

Her 31lb weight loss then hit headlines in a glossy People magazine piece, spotlighting not just her transformation but Ro, a telehealth service offering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs where Alexis Ohanian sits on the board.

That stirred old debates about her weight battles and ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou. “Oh I remember it very well,” he said in a recent interview. “It was after the pregnancy – not right after; I know these things take time. I told her: ‘Listen, this is not a comment on how you look. It’s not my problem.’ But tennis is a sport in which you can’t afford to be overweight.”

He broke it down bluntly. “Even one kilo overweight is a lot. When you go full speed in one direction with one kilo extra and then need to stop and come back, the time that you lose is really important. Just look at the best players in the world – Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic. Think about their movement. The weight was affecting her movement.”

The bottom line, according to the ex-coach stayed firm: “I don’t care about your look. It’s not my job. My job is your tennis. If you want to come back to the top and make history, then we have to be very efficient on every level—including this one, which for me was the key element.”

His words may have stung, but Serena has since turned the narrative in her own way. Embracing herself and proving, as always, that her champion’s legacy is untouchable.