Liputan6.com, Jakarta Global tennis icon Serena Williams recently made a surprising revelation about her weight loss journey.
She revealed that she has successfully lost more than 14 kilograms.
This weight loss was achieved with the help of GLP-1 medicine.
This decision came after she faced significant challenges in regaining her ideal body shape after giving birth, particularly after the birth of her first daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017, and her second daughter, Adira River, in August 2023.
This weight struggle has been a focus of her attention for the past few years.
The use of GLP-1 drugs began after she stopped breastfeeding in early 2024.
Serena Williams emphasized that this step was part of her holistic effort to maintain health and well-being.
“I feel great,” she tells PEOPLE. “I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally.”
Serena Williams' Weight Loss Journey
Serena Williams revealed that her weight struggles began after giving birth to her first daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017.
Her body began to change significantly postpartum, making it difficult to reach her goal weight.
“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 explains.
“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 experienced similar struggles after the birth of her second daughter, Adira River, in August 2023.
Although she lost a significant amount of weight in the first two weeks, her progress then stalled.
Serena stated that after that, she stopped losing weight altogether.
After losing over 14 kilograms, Serena felt "really good and healthy."
She described her feeling as "physically and mentally lighter."
“I just can do more. I'm more active. My joints don't hurt as much. I just feel like something as simple as just getting down is a lot easier for me. And I do it a lot faster,” she explains.
“I feel like I have a lot of energy and it's great. I just feel pretty good about it.”
What Is GLP-1? Here's The Explanation
Serena Williams has publicly stated that she uses GLP-1 weight loss drugs, or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.
She began weekly injections about six months after Adira was born, after she stopped breastfeeding in early 2024.
This decision was made after consulting with a doctor through the Ro platform.
GLP-1 is a type of medication that mimics the body's natural hormone, which signals satiety to the brain and regulates blood sugar levels, as reported by Cleveland Clinic.
Medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Saxenda included into this category.
These medications are generally prescribed for obesity or diabetes, often accompanied by recommendations for lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.
She emphasized that GLP-1 is not a substitute, but rather "enhances" all the efforts she has already made, including a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine.
She offered a message of support to those also using GLP-1, stating that it's not a "shortcut," but rather an act of self-care that requires courage.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
She reported experiencing no side effects from the injections.
On August 21, 2025, Serena Williams exclusively revealed to People that she had been using GLP-1 medication.
Her admission coincided with her announcement as a celebrity patient ambassador for Ro, a telehealth company that provides weight-loss medication services.
She has lost over 14 kilograms thanks to the use of this medication.
Serena Williams Brief Profile
Serena Jameka Williams, born September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, USA, is an American former professional tennis player known for her powerful and revolutionary playing style.
She is widely recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Her illustrious career has left an indelible mark on the history of the sport.
Throughout her career, Serena Williams amassed 23 Grand Slam singles titles, making her the record-holder in the Open Era for both women's and men's singles.
She dominated major tournaments, including six U.S. Open titles, three French Opens, seven Wimbledon titles, and seven Australian Opens.
She also held the world No. 1 women's singles ranking by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks.
- Grand Slam: Won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in the Open Era (women or men).
- World Ranking: Ranked world No. 1 for 319 weeks, and finished the year at No. 1 five times.
- WTA Tour Titles: Won 73 WTA Tour-level singles titles.
- Doubles Titles: With Venus Williams, won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic doubles gold medals.
- Golden Slam: The only player to achieve the Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.
- Earnings: The highest-earning female athlete of all time ($94,816,730 as of February 6, 2023).
Off the court, Serena is also active as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist.
She has her own clothing line, Serena, and has invested in various startups.
As a UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador, she has founded two Serena Williams High Schools in Kenya.
Her personal life is also in the spotlight, having married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017.
The couple have two daughters: Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., born in 2017, and Adira River, born in August 2023.
Serena Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis in 2022, ending her era of dominance in the tennis world.