Serena Williams Says She’s ‘Not OK Today’ in Candid Message to Fans

Serena Williams is getting candid with her fans about her mental health.

The tennis legend took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday morning and shared that she’s not OK. In sharing the message to her more than 10 million followers, Williams also encouraged others to understand that not being OK is also very much OK.

“I am not ok today. And that’s ok to not be ok,” she tweeted. “No one is ok every single day. If you are not ok today I’m with you. There’s always tomorrow. Love you.”

Her fans responded with supportive replies. One fan responded, “This spoke to me. Thank you for these energy giving words. I have prayed for you, you will be okay! I will be okay also,” while another added, “I hope you feel better lady. You’re absolutely right. It’s ok not to be okay sometimes, and to acknowledge it. But, here’s the thing. Put on some feel good music and do the running man throughout the house. It just might lift your spirit.”

Williams did not share the same message, or elaborate, on Instagram or TikTok, where she has nearly 20 million more followers.

It was just a week ago when Williams opened up about the reality of motherhood. She posted a TikTok that began with her glammed and dressed to the nines for a night out at the 2023 CFDA Awards at American Museum of Natural History earlier this month, before the video cuts to her pumping breast milk.

“What my life is really like,” she captioned the video. “It’s not as glamorous as you think.”

She added the hashtags, “momhumor,” “workingmom” and “workingmomstruggles,” among others.

Williams, of course, shares 6-year-old daughter, Olympia, and 2-month-old daughter, Adira, with husband Alexis Ohanian. The 23-time Grand Slam champ has been vulnerable about her mental health over the years. In a 2018 article for TIME magazine reflecting on her remarkable Wimbledon Championships run (in which she was the runner-up), Williams opened up about the highs and lows of life in and outside the court.

“I dedicated that to all the moms out there who’ve been through a lot,” she says. “Some days, I cry. I’m really sad. I’ve had meltdowns. It’s been a really tough 11 months. If I can do it, you guys can do it too.”

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