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Serena Williams is an incredible athlete, mother, sister and all-around role model. So, it came as a shock to some fans when she announced her retirement in August 2022, having played her last tournament for the U.S. Open the following month. Now that she won’t be too preoccupied with her sports career, Serena will hopefully enjoy some time to chill by the pool and soak up the sun. She has, of course, done so in the past and sported a stylish bikini or swimsuit for various beach pictures.
“Vacation,” Serena captioned an Instagram photo in November 2021, featuring shots of her snorkeling underwater wearing a floral-patterned two-piece and a blue long-sleeved shirt.
It appeared the athlete took a trip with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their daughter, Olympia, as the two were seen swimming in a video in Serena’s social media post.
Shortly afterward, the former California resident uploaded other images of her donning a multi-patterned one-piece while swimming underwater.
“When you ask how did I reach that ball … it’s underwater training,” she captioned a separate Instagram post at the time.
As a dedicated athlete, Serena had to maintain her physical health and fitness. In August 2021, the tennis pro described her diet to Women’s Health magazine.
“I want to have a healthy lifestyle and, so you know, [I’m eating] a lot of greens and mostly plant-based lately, just super healthy stuff,” she said at the time. “I usually like to have lots of greens before my match and then fruit actually, and a little carbs and some sort of a protein. So, I try to knock them [food groups] all out in one.”
However, Serena has also struggled with body image and self-perception in the past. She opened up to British Vogue for its November 2020 issue, revealing that she often felt self-conscious, especially since her older sister, Venus Williams, always had a thinner physical shape.
“When I was growing up, what was celebrated was different,” she told the outlet. “Venus looked more like what is really acceptable: she has incredibly long legs, she’s really, really thin. I didn’t see people on TV that looked like me, who were thick. There wasn’t positive body image. It was a different age.”
Nevertheless, Serena realized how much her physicality allowed her to accomplish in life, including giving birth to her daughter.
“How amazing that my body has been able to give me the career that I’ve had, and I’m really thankful for it,” the Michigan native concluded. “I only wish I had been thankful sooner. It just all comes full circle when I look at my daughter.”
Scroll through the gallery to see Serena’s stunning swimsuit photos!
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