Serena Williams revealed in an interview with the American magazine People in New York that she lost more than 14 kg through weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist injections. 

The treatment was prescribed via Ro, a US-based telehealth company that offers direct-to-patient online consultations and prescriptions for chronic conditions, including obesity and diabetes.

The former tennis champion, who has since become a brand ambassador, is now facing public and media criticism. The Guardian described her endorsement as a commercial move that lacked ethics.

After giving birth to her daughters in 2017 and 2023, Williams admitted that she struggled with her weight postpartum despite undergoing intensive training and following a balanced diet.

“I have never taken shortcuts in my career and have always worked very hard. I know what it takes to be the best,” the 23-time Grand Slam winner told People in an article published online on August 21.

“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,” she said.

Following personal research and after stopping breastfeeding her second child, Williams began treatment in 2024 through Ro, with weekly injections of GLP-1 receptor agonists, including drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy. 

“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 stressed. “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.”

The tennis champion revealed exclusively to the magazine that she has been using a GLP-1 medication to help with weight loss and has since lost over 31 lb.

“I feel great,” she said. “I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally.”

She stressed that she intended to continue with weekly injections as needed. Her access to treatment is facilitated by the fact that her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is a board member of the Ro.

People magazine featured several images of Williams administering the medication supplied by Ro, lending the article more of a promotional feel than that of an independent report.

Sporting Legacy

Social media reactions came quickly. While Williams’ case is not unique — Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg have also disclosed their use of GLP-1 analogues — many observers argue that her endorsement carries greater weight because of her athletic legacy.

Many fans expressed regret that she was using her iconic status to promote weight-loss injections, reinforcing societal beauty standards.

The Guardian summarized the backlash, noting that many “Others were angry that a global sporting icon, once celebrated for defying toxic beauty standards, would lend her name to a pharmaceutical fad already criticized for being overprescribed.”

To many of her admirers, “this was more than a sponsorship deal — it felt like a diminishment of her athletic legacy, a suggestion that all the titles and training were still not enough in a society where appearance trumps achievement.”

Beyond public criticism that the athlete is “selling out” her sporting legacy, the partnership raises ethical concerns by promoting GLP-1 agonists as lifestyle products rather than as treatments intended primarily for type 2 diabetes and, in some cases, severe obesity. Endorsement by a high-profile athlete may also downplay the risk for adverse effects while overlooking issues of access inequality and body stigmatization.

US Trend

In the US, the use of GLP-1 agonists reflects a broad trend in the management of obesity and diabetes.

According to a 2024 survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, cited by The Guardian, 8%-10% of Americans are currently taking GLP-1 medications.

“Unlike traditional pharma, telehealth companies in the US don’t have to run long read-outs of risks. They can present drugs like lifestyle accessories. And now they have a real American hero as their most bankable face in the gold rush for market share.”

Beyond publicity, optimizing the care of patients with obesity and diabetes must remain central to the prescription and information on this class of medications.

This story was translated from Medscape’s French edition.