Serena Williams shares cryptic post about prioritizing mental health… weeks after weight loss drug backlash

Tennis legend Serena Williams shared an obscure social media post opening up on a ‘difficult’ month.

The 43-year-old faced backlash when she publicly admitted to using Zepbound, a GLP-1 medication, which she revealed was behind her 31-pound weight loss last month.

Just over three weeks later, the 23-time Grand Slam winner posted a cryptic message about facing challenges and prioritizing her mental health.

In an apparent Bridgerton-inspired Instagram post, Williams addressed her ‘dearest gentle reader.’

‘My summer started out well but I was plunged into a difficult August,’ she continued. ‘Like many of you, I faced challenges that tested my spirit and resilience. Life can sometimes feel overwhelming and it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters—your mental health and well-being.

‘I took some time away to breathe, to reconnect with myself, and to remember that it’s perfectly okay to pause and reconnect. Even if it’s just a quiet night to yourself. Anything counts.

Serena Williams shared an obscure social media post opening up on a ‘difficult’ month

Just weeks ago, the tennis legend publicly admitted to using a weight loss drug

‘I’ve learned that the end of a matter is better than its beginning. And even though things haven’t reached their end yet, I’m also learning to let go and live life one moment at a time.’

She signed off the message with the hashtag, ‘LadySerenaOfStocktonStreet’ – another nod to Netflix’s popular Regency era period drama series.

Williams’s candid post comes just weeks after she shared the secret behind her dramatic body transformation, revealing in August that she has shed 31 pounds over the course of the past year.

She admitted to using a GLP-1 medication, which had left her feeling light ‘physically and light mentally.’

GLP-1 is a natural hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite that is found in popular weight loss medication brands such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro as well as Zepbound.

The tennis icon, who stepped away from the sport after the 2022 US Open, said that she began to struggle with her weight after becoming a mother for the first time with the birth of her eldest daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017.

She dealt with similar postpartum struggles over the changes to her body following the birth of her second daughter Adira River in August 2023.

Williams explained that she would go through quick bursts of weight loss only for her weight to then remain stagnant regardless of the healthy lifestyle she was accustomed to maintaining as a professional athlete.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed that she had been using Zepbound

Williams brought the curtain down on her glittering on-court career at the 2022 US Open

That’s when she approached health care company Ro, for which she is a paid spokesperson and her husband is an investor in, for guidance on GLP-1 medication.

However, Williams’s confession sparked backlash from fans, who branded it ‘deeply problematic.’

‘GLP1 is a drug, and there are still doubts about the safety of this drug. Please don’t promote something so sinister for money. Many people might be influenced by you to use this drug, and they might suffer harm!’

Another added: ‘Seeing THE Serena Williams being used to sell weight loss products feels like an insult to everything Serena Williams represents, stands for, and has achieved, even if she herself or her team doesn’t feel that way.’

‘seeing serena williams, a whole gold metal olympian, be on a glp-1 talking about how she “finally lost weight” just broke something in me,’ chimed in a third.

‘Serena Williams doing ads for Ozempic?! The body positivity movement is officially dead. Men hate us so much, they aren’t satisfied unless we hate ourselves, too,’ posted another, also incorrectly naming Ozempic as the brand Williams has been using.

‘Serena Williams promoting ozempic/GLP-1 is problematic and disappointing because it’s being marketed as a ‘health’ choice rather than an aesthetic one,’ one fan wrote on social media, while getting the exact brand Williams used incorrect. ‘She didn’t look like this at her peak as an athlete so really she’s losing weight to achieve a certain look nothing else.’

‘So now Serena Williams is publicly promoting GLP-1 from Ro, an Ozempic-like product, and claiming her use of it for weight loss, as a healthy choice,’ another added.

The 43-year-old explained she began taking it after the birth of her second daughter, Adira

Williams is pictured with her husband, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, at the 2024 ESPYS

‘I’m deeply disappointed on her, as an ex-athlete that has been into body positivity and healthy lifestyle besides appearance.’

Earlier in the summer, Williams had sparked fears among fans with her lean appearance in a sultry set of bikini snaps taken during a luxe yacht getaway.

She flaunted her toned figure and sculpted curves like a seasoned swimsuit model in a bikini and sheer sarong on the luxury vessel with a postcard-worthy ocean behind her.

While many praised her post-retirement glowup, others were quick to sound off — accusing the superstar of changing her figure too drastically.