Serena Williams is still hard at work on getting back to her pre-baby body, nearly a year after she welcomed her second child.
Sitting down with ET’s Rachel Smith to discuss her new docuseries, In the Arena: Serena Williams, the 42-year-old tennis pro opened up about her health goals, her daughters and what it was like looking back on her career as a now-retired player.
As for the first part, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has been candid in recent months about her desire to fit back into a cherished Valentino skirt from before her pregnancies, keeping her social media followers updated on her progress after declaring her intent to wear the beloved denim clothing item again.
“The journey is coming! I actually have another one that I’m gonna post,” she shared with ET of her goal to fit back into the skirt. “The fun part is when that journey is over, I just got some new pants that I can’t quite fit in.”
The mom of two added, “But I’m still getting there, I still have a little more baby weight to come off.”
There’s certainly no rush from her fans, especially since the tennis GOAT just gave birth to her second daughter, Adira, in August. Williams also shares 6-year-old Olympia with her husband of six years, Alexis Ohanian.
While Adira may not be at the age yet where she can give her mom her unfiltered opinions, that is one issue Olympia has no trouble with. Earlier this year, the elder of Williams’ two daughters hilariously questioned her mom as she put on makeup, asking why she would be gussying herself up with “nowhere to go.”
Williams tells ET that things this second time around have been a little more manageable — and less stress-inducing — than it was when Olympia was a baby.
“I think [the] second time around is — I’m a little but more like, you know, if Adira falls, I don’t die like with Olympia,” she explained. “Now I’m like, ‘Oh, she’s tough, she’ll be fine.’ And she is tough.”
While Williams has been intently focused on getting herself back into pre-baby body shape, she also is making sure that her children don’t see it as anything else but a health goal. Earlier this year, she chatted with ET and addressed the importance of instilling body positivity principles in her young girls.
“For me, it’s super important for them to love who they are and whatever they look like,” she shared at the time. “I also foster that positivity by encouraging them to give others compliments, especially other girls compliments. So if I see a girl in their class, I’m like, ‘Oh, she looks pretty, right?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, I like her hair.’ I’m like, ‘I like her hair, too.'”
She continued, “So just kind of encouraging that, because it doesn’t matter what they look like. If you can find something positive about them then you’re also going to find something positive about you and then you’re gonna win.”
Serena Williams with daughter Olympia and husband Alexis Ohanian – Getty
Another message she would want her daughters to learn is the same one she says she would tell her younger self. As the ESPN+ docuseries pulled archival footage from her prolific tennis career, Williams said it gave her the chance to look back and reexamine her life and her years in the sport.
“Relax a little bit more,” she said of what she would tell herself at age 14. “I was so intense on the court and wanted to be perfect at every moment and obviously that’s not possible. So, just take a deep breath and just relax and, you know, I think that would have helped me out a little bit.”
The docuseries, helmed by Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story director Gotham Chopra, recently premiered at Tribeca Festival to rave reviews. The show features Williams deconstructing major moments from her career and the impact each win and loss had on her life.
Watch a teaser for In the Arena: Serena Williams in the player below:
The docuseries premieres on ESPN+ on July 10.
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