Serena Williams opens up on post-retirement weight-loss journey

Tennis legend Serena Williams has shed light on her long-standing struggle with weight management during her illustrious career, revealing how retirement finally allowed her to achieve her health goals.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner explained that despite rigorous training regimens and a disciplined diet, she could never attain her ideal weight while actively competing on the professional tour.

"I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained," Williams shared in an interview with PEOPLE magazine.

She described the immense frustration of her efforts not translating to the results she desired. "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 said.

For an athlete whose career was defined by discipline and relentless effort, the inability to control this aspect of her physical condition was particularly challenging.

"I had never taken shortcuts in my career and always worked really hard. I know what it takes to be the best," Williams stated. "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 has recently showcased a noticeably slimmer figure. She attributes this transformation to using Ro!, a GLP-1 weight-loss medication she endorsed in a Super Bowl commercial. The treatment helped her lose an initial 31 pounds (14kg), with the total eventually reaching 34 pounds (15kg).

Williams noted that the benefits extended beyond weight loss, citing reduced stress on her knees, stabilized blood sugar levels, and lower cholesterol as positive outcomes of the treatment.