Serena Williams Drops a Bombshell: How GLP-1 Therapy Supercharges Her Game Without Compromise!
Serena Williams is a name synonymous with sheer power, unmatched talent, and an endless trophy cabinet — 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals don’t just happen by chance. But here’s the kicker: despite being a superathlete, Serena makes no bones about her humanity. I mean, who hasn’t faced that stubborn scale number refusing to budge no matter how many steps you clock? After struggling with postpartum weight and life-threatining complications post-birth of her daughter Olympia, Serena’s journey hits a wrench that many of us can relate to — the frustrating plateau. Walking the cobblestone streets of Paris with 20,000 to 30,000 steps a day, yet still stuck. Think about it… even the GOAT struggles with Getting Back To Health. She explored weight loss meds, hesitated under the weight of stigma, but ultimately decided to own her story — proving that sometimes, even the fiercest lions need new tools in their arsenal. And guess what? It’s not a shortcut or a copout — it’s real talk about real health. Seven months in, with a better body and spirit, Serena is smashing even more goals. Ready to dive in and get the full scoop on why this is one more reason why she’s THE GOAT? LEARN MORE
WITH 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals, Serena Williams is undeniably a superathlete. But the 43-year-old will be the first to admit that she isn’t superhuman.
After the birth of her first child—daughter Olympia in 2017, during which Serena experienced life-threatening complications—she struggled to get back to what she considered a healthy weight for her. Fans got a small glimpse into this side of the tennis star’s journey in her 2018 HBO documentary Becoming Serena.
“At one point my coach says, ‘You need to lose weight,’” Serena tells Women’s Health. “I was eating extremely healthy and I was working out really hard because I know what it takes to be number-one. But I was never able to lose weight, and that was really frustrating for me.”
Serena recalls a trip to Paris, in particular, during which she routinely walked 20,000 to 30,000 steps per day—partially because she loves strolling Paris (who doesn’t!?) and partially because she was trying to get fit. Yet, the scale number “would never go below where it needed to go,” she says.
With the birth of her second child—daughter Adira in 2023—Serena initially lost weight quickly, but she once again plateaued. As a result of the extra weight, she was experiencing strain on her joints every time she ran down a ball. “In a sport like tennis, you’re putting hundreds of pounds of strain on your joints per movement, per time,” she says.
That’s when Serena came to a realization, she says: “I have to try something different.” She started researching weight loss medications, but as she more seriously contemplated taking a GLP-1, she found herself hesitant due to the stigma surrounding the drugs—that they’re some kind of shortcut or cop out. As a top athlete, she felt the scrutiny would be extra intense.
“I am a very good use case of how you can do everything—eat healthy, work out to the point of even playing a professional sport and getting to the finals of Wimbledon and U.S. Opens—and still not be able to lose weight,” she says. “It’s not a shortcut. It’s not a copout. This is just another tool to support my health journey.”
Serena began a GLP-1 regimen about a year ago, once she finished breastfeeding Adira. But her first go-around with the medication didn’t quite stick. “I was a bit nervous and had too many unanswered questions,” she says of taking a pause.
In January of this year, she started anew, this time with telehealth company Ro. (Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is also an investor in Ro and serves on its board.)
“It was a lot easier of an experience with Ro,” Serena says. “Doctors were able to answer my questions, no matter how silly or crazy.” And with her hectic travel schedule, she appreciated that support was just a click away, rather than having to schedule an in-person appointment at an office. Serena is now officially partnering with Ro as a celebrity patient ambassador (she began as just a regular client) to help bust the stigmas that might be holding others back from exploring their health options. (Serena did not disclose which specific medication she is on. Ro offers prescriptions for Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound.)
Seven months into treatment, Serena is seeing results beyond weight loss. The tennis star says she can finally see the effects of all her hard work at the gym—plus, her body feels less strain while training since she’s carrying less weight.
“My joints are a lot better,” she says—and that’s despite all the running she’s been doing lately to prepare for an upcoming half-marathon. “I am running farther than I ever have.”
Her health is benefiting too: “I just had my checkup, and the doctor said everything—including my blood sugar levels—looked great.”
For anyone contemplating a GLP-1 who’s been hesitant given the stigma that it somehow undermines personal effort, Serena assures that couldn’t be further from the truth. “Being on a GLP-1 definitely doesn’t take away from who I am as a professional athlete. In fact, I am enjoying sports now more than ever. And my body feels good doing it.”
“I would never take a shortcut to living a healthy life,” Serena says. “It’s really about using the tools available to you to support your health. That’s why it’s so important to be transparent with my story.”
And that’s just one more reason why Serena truly is the GOAT.
Amy Wilkinson is a contributing entertainment editor at Women’s Health, where she edits the magazine’s celebrity cover stories and writes health features. She has previously held editor titles at Entertainment Weekly and MTV News. In 2021, Amy completed her 600-hour teacher-training at Core Pilates NYC to become a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor.
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