Serena Williams says GLP-1 treatment improved her health beyond weight loss

The former world No. 1 says the medication changed her bloodwork, reduced health risks and shouldn’t carry the stigma it often does.

Serena Williams is standing firmly behind her decision to use GLP-1 medication, pushing back on the stigma surrounding the drugs as she returned to professional tennis after four years away.

Speaking on “Rapid Response,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion was asked whether she had reservations about being publicly associated with GLP-1s. Her answer was immediate. “Not at all,” she said, per NewsNation, adding that as research expands, the picture is becoming clearer. “I always said it does help you lose weight, but it’s so much more than that.”

Williams told the outlet she used Zepbound to lose 34 pounds and rebuild her playing condition during her time away from the sport. But the part of her experience she emphasized most had little to do with the scale. She said her bloodwork and heart-health indicators shifted notably while on the medication, revealing risks she hadn’t been aware of.

“I didn’t even realize I could have been a candidate for heart disease,” she said, noting subsequent tests indicated she no longer fell into that category, along with improvements she described around diabetes risk and inflammation. She called the medication “a miracle” for many people.

Williams also acknowledged she initially had to be measured in what she shared publicly, explaining that certain claims couldn’t be made while testing was still underway.

Her advocacy comes with a business dimension worth noting. Williams serves as a spokesperson for Ro, a telehealth company that provides weight-loss medications, and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is an investor in the company.

Williams said she first learned about the treatment through Ohanian and had long wanted to collaborate with Ro co-founder Zachariah Reitano, citing her admiration for how he built the company.

Her openness lands in a cultural moment where GLP-1 use remains heavily scrutinized, particularly for women in the public eye. As NewsNation reported, Williams’ willingness to speak plainly reflects a broader shift among high-profile figures choosing transparency over silence on a subject still surrounded by judgment.