{"id":245627,"date":"2026-06-11T13:36:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/is-serena-williams-use-of-glp-1-a-performance-enhancing-drug\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T13:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:36:28","slug":"is-serena-williams-use-of-glp-1-a-performance-enhancing-drug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/is-serena-williams-use-of-glp-1-a-performance-enhancing-drug\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Serena Williams&#8217; Use of GLP-1 a Performance-Enhancing Drug?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>There are two big things to know about what Serena Williams has been up to.<\/p>\n<p>The first is that she has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2025\/08\/serena-williams-admits-zepbound-weight-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confessed to using GLP-1 medications<\/a> for luxury weight loss, even posting paid promotions.<\/p>\n<p>The second is that she has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/06\/serena-williams-announces-return-to-tennis-nearly-4-years-after-retirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">returned to tennis<\/a> several years after retiring.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s growing buzz about banning BLP-1 as a performance-enhancing drug. Is she going to have to choose between them? <em>Should <\/em>she?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Serena Williams in May 2026.\" class=\"wp-image-556921 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0611_serenawilliams_01-scaled.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Serena Williams attends Netflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: The Roast of Kevin Hart at The Kia Forum on May 10, 2026.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Photo Credit: Gonzalo Marroquin\/Getty Images for Netflix)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-glp-1s-among-athletes-is-relatively-new-territory\">GLP-1s among athletes is relatively new territory<\/h2>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7347270\/2026\/06\/10\/serena-williams-tennis-comeback-glp1-rules-performance-enhancement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The New York Times<\/a><\/em> is talking about it, so we are, too.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Serena announced her partnership with Ro \u2014 a company in which her husband, Alexis Ohanian, has invested.<\/p>\n<p>According to her narrative, she struggled to lose weight after giving birth to two daughters, which led her to trying Zepbound.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Serena has last weight and returned to the world of tennis \u2014 though she says that she\u2019s only playing doubles for fun.<\/p>\n<p>This does make her the most prominent athlete to have openly used GLP-1 drugs for luxury weight loss.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZZ_a7ajRJa\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"\/>\n<p>Anti-doping authorities in the tennis world and beyond have been monitoring GLP-1 drugs since 2024, shortly after the fad took off.<\/p>\n<p>For now, they are not a prohibited substance.<\/p>\n<p>They are also not currently classified as a performance-enhancing drug by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency).<\/p>\n<p>It is possible that this will never change.<\/p>\n<p>There are arguments for banning the use of GLP-1s in sports, allowing it, and also for something in between.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Serena Williams&#039; WINNING Comeback! | 2026 London Round of 16 | WTA Match Highlights\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0fw6z5S2C-s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-do-they-actually-enhance-anyone-s-athletic-performance-though\">Do they actually enhance anyone\u2019s athletic performance though?<\/h2>\n<p>In Tennis, anti-doping protocols are managed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). WADA oversees compliance.<\/p>\n<p>Serena claimed that, despite being one of the greatest athletes on Earth, she struggled to lose weight through diet and exercise until she began using a GLP-1 medication.<\/p>\n<p>(Again, there is a financial stake given her husband\u2019s investment, leaving some to question the credulity of her paid statements.)<\/p>\n<p>Now, if GLP-1 use were to be considered a performance-enhancing medication, it might be for fat loss.<\/p>\n<p>However, studies have shown that GLP-1 patients experience muscle loss. Obviously. Which would, if anything, sound like it would detract from an athlete\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DZU-sZ6u21U\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"\/>\n<p>Ultimately, this discussion sort of misses the point, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p>First of all, politics can play a bigger role in what is and is not banned from competitions.<\/p>\n<p>Marijuana could not reasonably enhance anyone\u2019s athletic performance, yet it is generally banned for athletes. <\/p>\n<p>Trans women on estrogen may be banned, even though their HRT would, if anything, reduce their athletic performance. Meanwhile, cis women with higher levels of testosterone could also be banned, simply for being themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Medicalized starvation \u2014 which, ultimately, is what GLP-1 medication does \u2014 probably doesn\u2019t give an athlete an edge on the field. <\/p>\n<p>But athletes are maybe the last people who should be promoting this as a \u201chealthy\u201d option for those who do not medically need it, such as diabetes patients.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/06\/serena-williams-glp-1-use-performance-enhancing-tennis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 2 minutes There are two big things to know about what Serena Williams has been up to. The first is that she has confessed to using GLP-1 medications for luxury weight loss, even posting paid promotions. The second is that she has returned to tennis several years after retiring. But there\u2019s growing buzz [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":245629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-245627","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}