Serena Williams Opened Up About Body Insecurity As An Athlete

Over the course of her iconic 27-year tennis career, Serena Williams learned to shut out her critics, including the vocal body-shamers. Still, the GOAT battled insecurities, particularly when she was younger. Speaking to Porter for a cover story published on Nov. 30, she recalled comparing her physique to those of other athletes and struggling with feeling “different.”

Battling Body Insecurity

“It was hard because when I was playing in the beginning — the first 15 years — my body was different,” Williams, now 44, told the magazine. “I had big boobs; I had a big butt. Every athlete was like super flat, super thin and beautiful, but in a different way. And I didn’t understand as an athlete how to deal with that.”

Williams made her professional debut at just 14 years old and won the first of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at 17. Though she was wildly successful on the court, body image struggles took a toll. “It does affect you mentally. Absolutely,” Williams said.

Looking back now, she has a different perspective: “I didn’t look like these other girls but not everyone looks the same.” Williams credited being Black in tennis with helping teach her how to face negativity.

“I don’t hear the noise,” she said. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. How am I going to sit here and change someone’s thought? If [you] don’t like me, you don’t have to.”

A Return To Tennis?

Since her last match at the 2022 U.S. Open, Williams has been busy with motherhood, pursuing business interests, and even convincing Shonda Rhimes to give her a Bridgerton role. Her tennis chapter may not be fully over, though. On Dec. 2, The Athletic reported that Williams had reentered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s drug testing pool, which all professional players must join if they wish to complete.

ITIA spokesperson Adrian Bassett confirmed to The Athletic that Williams had notified the agency of her desire to be reinstated. However, he noted, “I do not know if this means she is coming back, or just giving herself the option.”

Williams didn’t drop any major clues in her Porter profile, but she did hint at missing tennis. “No matter how prepared you are to retire, and particularly from doing something every day at such a high level, it’s hard,” she said. “I really prepped myself the best way I could, but it’s something that’s still a little difficult.”