Serena Williams has openly discussed her strugglеs with body image and weight, particularly when comparing herself to her sister, Venus Williams.

Venus and Serena Williams created a legendary tennis dynasty, amassing 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them. They also formed a formidable doubles team, securing 14 Grand Slam titles in womеn’s doubles.

Despite their impressive achievements, both sisters faced numerous challenges on and off the court throughout their careers. Serena, in particular, faced ongoing scrutiny regarding her weight, with critics questioning her fitness despite her success.

In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Serena candidly talked about her journey toward self-acceptance, revealing how she had to come to terms with her weight as a personal “weakness.” Growing up with her taller, slimmer sister Venus, who had a physique akin to a “model,” Serena initially felt insecure about her fuller figure and wished to be as slim as Venus. Over time, however, she learned to embrace and celebrate her curvier body.

“I had to get comfortable with knowing that one of my weaknesses was my weight. Especially growing up with Venus, who’s so tall and slim and model-like, and me, I’m thick and hips and everything. I used to feel like I wаntеd to be her,” Serena said. “I wаntеd to be thin, but it wasn’t me, so I had to learn that I’m going to have larger bооbs. I’m going to be bigger, and just enjoy that. So I think it’s good for a lot of other girls who are curvy or more bodacious to be confident in themselves,” she added.

In their tennis careers, Serena and Venus faced each other 31 times, with Serena leading their head-to-head record 19-12. They met 16 times at Grand Slam events. Venus won their first three Grand Slam encounters, but Serena turned the tide in their subsequent meetings, including victories in the finals of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in 2002, as well as the Australian Open and Wimbledon finals in 2003.

Venus later won matches at the 2005 US Open and the 2008 Wimbledon final, but Serena avenged these losses with victories at the 2008 US Open quarterfinals. Serena then dominated their last five Grand Slam encounters, culminating in a win at the 2018 US Open.