Patrick Mouratoglou Reveals Intense Clashes With Serena Williams Regarding Her Weight

Ahead of the US Open, Serena Williams opened up about her 31lb weight-loss journey for a weight-loss drug commercial.

Patrick Mouratoglou Reveals Intense Clashes With Serena Williams Regarding Her Weight

Patrick Mouratoglou and Serena Williams (via Sky Sports)

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Serena Williams has been the subject of a lot of criticism in recent times for the promotion of a weight loss drug. While some believe that it is her choice as to what she wants to do with her body, others believe such a decision by arguably one of the greatest female athletes of all time promotes dependency on pharmaceutical products along with instilling body dysmorphia.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion defended the decision citing her inability to reach her desired weight after pregnancy despite trying everything and her coach’s increasing concerns about her weight. Her then coach Patrick Mouratoglou weighed in on the weight concerns during an interview with The Guardian:

It was after the pregnancy – not right after; I know these things take time. I told her: ‘Listen, this is not a comment on how you look. It’s not my problem.’ But tennis is a sport in which you can’t afford to be overweight. First of all, the pressure on your joints and everything is so big that your chances become much higher.

Mouratoglou coached Williams from 2012 to 2022 during which she won 10 Grand Slams and the Olympic gold medal in singles. After giving birth to her first daughter in 2017, Williams took a brief break and returned to the sport in 2018. Mouratoglou further added:

The second thing is it’s a sport in which you change directions all the time and with a lot of speed. Even one kilo overweight is a lot. When you go full speed in one direction with one kilo extra and then need to stop and come back, the time that you lose is really important. Just look at the best players in the world – Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic. Think about their movement. The weight was affecting her movement.

After giving birth to her child, Williams reached the finals of four more Grand Slams, albeit losing them. She won her sole WTA title post childbirth at the 2020 Auckland Open.

Serena Williams initially did not like Patrick Mouratoglou’s comments about her weight

Serena Williams did not take Patrick Mouratoglou’s advice in good spirit initially. Comments on weight or physical appearances do evoke a sense of discomfort in women, and Williams initial reaction seemed only natural. However the Frenchman later explained that his concerns regarding weight were solely from a sporting point of view:

In Serena’s case, she was older – so of course the body is not going to bounce back the same as before, and the risk of injury is even bigger. We had a few fights about it. I remember she did not like when I said that because she thought I was judging her. But I kept telling her, I don’t care about your look. It’s not my job. My job is your tennis. If you want to come back to the top and make history, then we have to be very efficient on every level – including this one, which for me was the key element.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams (Image via X/ESPN Tenis)

Williams had put in a lot of effort to reduce weight. She tried running and walking for hours after giving birth, 30,000-step days, four-hour summer training sessions only to see the same number on the scale. This is where the weight-loss drug comes in the picture.

Serena Williams’ weight-loss drug commercial

Ahead of the US Open, Serena Williams featured in a commercial in partnership with Ro, opening up on her 31lb weight-loss journey. Ro is an American telehealth company of which Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian is an investor and board of director.

Serena Williams
Serena Williams (image via US Open)

With this commercial, Williams promotes access to GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Zepbound, and Wegovy. Generally, the primary consumer of GLP-1 drugs are patients suffering from type-2 diabetes or obesity, however with this marketing strategy, the company, as stated by its CEO, Zach Reitano, chose Williams with the intention of normalizing weight-loss drugs as lifestyle products for those who aren’t typical patients.

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