Serena Williams was a champion on the tennis court for more than two decades, amassing 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles Majors, not to mention the countless other trophies and accolades she earned.

Off the court, as well, the American was second to none, championing various initiatives previously not so openly discussed in the tennis world.

Foremost among the topics she vocally discussed in the public eye was the issue of body positivity. Particularly in an interview with the New York Times in 2015, the former World No. 1 confessed that she rarely did weight training in the gym, as she did not want to get “bigger” by putting on muscles.

Williams, to her credit, admitted that it was an issue she battled with for a long time before realizing it was to her benefit to accept herself as she was.

Having turned such a corner, Serena Williams stated, that it was easier for her to urge others to love their own body types as well, seeing as she had personally wrestled with that demon in her own private life.

Serena Williams was a champion on the tennis court for more than two decades, amassing 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles Majors, not to mention the countless other trophies and accolades she earned.

Off the court, as well, the American was second to none, championing various initiatives previously not so openly discussed in the tennis world. Foremost among the topics she vocally discussed in the public eye was the issue of body positivity.

Particularly in an interview with the New York Times in 2015, the former World No. 1 confessed that she rarely did weight training in the gym, as she did not want to get “bigger” by putting on muscles.

Williams, to her credit, admitted that it was an issue she battled with for a long time before realizing it was to her benefit to accept herself as she was.

Having turned such a corner, Serena Williams stated, that it was easier for her to urge others to love their own body types as well, seeing as she had personally wrestled with that demon in her own private life.

“I don’t touch a weight, because I’m already super fit and super cut, and if I even look at weights, I get bigger. For years I’ve only done Thera-Bands and things like that, because that’s kind of how I felt. But then I realized that you really have to learn to accept who you are and love who you are. I’m really happy with my body type, and I’m really proud of it. Obviously it works out for me. I talk about it all the time, how it was uncomfortable for someone like me to be in my body,” Serena Williams said.

 

In a later interview with the Guardian, Williams showed this side of her personality even further, recalling how she understood comments in the media about her body were a ‘big joke’ because she was somehow called both too ‘masculine’ and too ‘racy’ in the same breath by many.

“Too muscly and too masculine, and then a week later too racy and too sexy. So for me it was just really a big joke,” Williams said.

“My arms are really fit, but I wanted to cover them” – Serena Williams

In an interview with the New York Times, Serena Williams revealed one aspect of her body image that she particularly struggled with.

The American was proud of her arms, marveling at their fitness, but at the same time, she admitted that she covered them more often than not because of how people saw them, “My arms are really fit, but I wanted to cover them, because when I do people don’t recognize me as much,” she said.

Serena Williams, following a very successful career, hung up her racket at the end of the 2022 season, playing her final tournament at the US Open and reaching the third round.