The tennis champ shared that she had a “difficult August,” leading her to “pause” and “reconnect with myself”
Serena Williams said she’s “learning to let go” after a “difficult August” in a cryptic Instagram post, where she said she’s had to take “some time away.”
“Dearest gentle reader, My summer started out well but I was plunged into a difficult August. Like many of you, I faced challenges that tested my spirit and resilience,” the tennis pro shared in a Sept. 16 Instagram post. She didn’t mention what troubled her.
In her post, Williams, 43, poses in front of bookshelves in a red, body-skimming dress. “Life can sometimes feel overwhelming and it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters—your mental health and well-being,” she wrote. “I took some time away to breathe, to reconnect with myself, and to remember that it’s perfectly okay to pause and reconnect. Even if it’s just a quiet night to yourself. Anything counts.”
Williams continued: “I’ve learned that the end of a matter is better than its beginning. And even though things haven’t reached their end yet, I’m also learning to let go and live life one moment at a time.”
Some fans speculated that the cryptic post may be referring to her relationship with her husband of nearly 8 years, Alexis Ohanian, who recently praised Williams as a “phenomenal athlete”. Williams has previously said marriage was “not bliss” without work.
The post comes a month after Williams told PEOPLE exclusively in August that she used a GLP-1 medication to help with weight loss, and has since lost over 31 lbs.
Williams concluded her post by saying, “The only thing I’m dealing with in this moment here is how good this dress looks against first editions.”
She added the hashtag #LadySerenaOfStocktonStreet — a reference to her upcoming podcast, Stockton Street, with sister Venus Williams, which debuts on Sept. 17 and will release bi-weekly episodes every Wednesday on X.
