Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Monday, 09 February 2026, 12:29 / Updated on Monday, 09 February 2026 12:30
Serena Williams (44), one of the greatest tennis players in history, is criticized for promoting the slimming solutions of the telemedicine company Ro. A commercial for the treatment ran during Super Bowl LX.
After retiring from her sports career, Serena Williams lost considerable weight. She revealed that she was unable to lose as much weight as she would have liked after giving birth to her second daughter, so resorted to the synthetic drug version of the hormone GLP-1, responsible for regulating blood sugar and appetite. It helped him lose about 15 kilograms
In an interview with People in the summer of 2025, the American said that “I feel great, really good and healthy, physically light, mentally clear.”
She went through this process with the telemedicine company Ro. Basically, a healthcare provider that uses technology to treat patients remotely. Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is an investor and member of the company's Board of Directors.
Serena Williams commercial for weight loss drug during Super Bowl
In this context, Serena didn't just stay with Ro client status, even he became the face of the brand, the protagonist of some advertisements.
One of these ran during Super Bowl LX, the most watched sporting event in the United States of America.
In the 30-second spot, Serena dances and injects her satiety hormone with a pen. In the background, she says:
“I use Ro. I lost 15 kilograms (no – 34 pounds) using GLP-1. I am healthier with Ro. I am supported on Ro. There are FDA-approved GLP-1 options (no – Food and Drug Administration), including in pill form.
Weight loss expertise we believe in. I move better since using Ro, I feel better since using Ro. I'm Serena Williams. And this is me using Ro”.
Former tennis player, harshly criticized
The American champion was harshly criticized for the association with the telemedicine company and especially the promotion of such slimming means.
Social media was “flooded” with such comments. One user of X, the former Twitter, from the tennis area, described it as “the most disappointing female athlete of all time“. “Marrying a billionaire isn't enough? Now you have to make us drink your poison?” asked the account with 15,000 followers.
Another, Pavvy G, known for his controversial views and a big supporter of Novak Djokovic, said it was “really sad that one of the biggest athletes in the world is shamelessly promoting weight loss drugs”.
“No one should be encouraged to take such drugs, especially by a role model and icon of the sport,” he added.
Jose Morondirector of the publication Punto de Break, addressed the advantages and disadvantages of using such “miracle treatments”:
“If someone has problems with their weight or wants to take care of their health, the best decision they can make is based on 3 pillars: exercise (within their own means), healthy eating and sleep.
The drug that Serena promotes has dozens and dozens of side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, reflux, hair loss, fatigue, pancreatitis, etc. (…) Too bad Serena“.
Many of the side effects listed by him are clinically confirmed, even common, but serious ones, such as pancreatitis, occur very rarely.
