"If I were not to eat for 2 years, I still wouldn’t be a Size 2" - When Serena Williams made honest admission about her body image & accepting it

Serena Williams once opened up about how it did not matter what she ate, she would never have become slimmer. The American underwent a lot of criticism for her body weight throughout her career, but she overpowered it with her performances on the court.

After reaching the Australian Open final in 2005 and earning the 26th title of her career, Williams faced an unnatural slump in form and could not reach the final of any event for two years. Her resurgence came in Melbourne in 2007 when an unseeded Williams earned her eighth Grand Slam title by easily beating Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2 in the final.

After the triumph, she spoke to reporters about her weight and how her eating habits did not matter.

"I think no matter if I were not to eat for two years, I still wouldn’t be a Size 2, because no matter how slim I am, I always have this and that," she said while pointing to her body (via the New York Times).

A reporter then suggested to the champion that the world at the time valued slimness more. To which, Williams responded:

"We are living in a Kate Olsen world.. I’m just not built that way."

Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian had once fought back on her behalf when she was criticized by a leading tennis figure for her weight.

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When Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian clapped back at the Madrid Open owner for comments about the American's weight

Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian at the TGL - Source: Getty

Ion Tiriac, a Romanian businessman and former ATP pro, owned the Madrid Open in 2021 when he called for Serena Williams to retire from the sport.

"At this age and the weight she is now, she does not move as easily as he did 15 years ago,” Tiriac said while on the Romanian show 'Network of Idols.' "Serena was a sensational player. If she had a little decency, she would retire! From all points of view."

Earlier, in 2018, Williams was at the receiving end of more criticism from the Romanian.

"With all due respect, but Serena Williams is 36 (years old) and 90 kilograms (198 pounds). I would like to see something else, I would like to see a player like Steffi Graf," he said via a German newspaper.

Tiriac's 2021 comments were shared on X, and Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian took no prisoners.

"Safe to say no one gives a damn what Ion Țiriac thinks," Ohanian wrote.

In another post, he added:

"2021 and no holding back when a racist/sexist clown with a platform comes for my family."

Williams got married to Ohanian in November 2017 after giving birth to their first daughter, Olympia, in September. The couple was blessed with another daughter, Adira, in 2023.