OPEN, THE FIRST OF A 23 IN HER  STORIED CAREER, BY THE WAY.  THIS MORNING WE ARE LUCKY TO BE  JOINED BY THE SUPERSTAR.  WELCOME BACK.  >> GOOD TO BE HERE.  YES, ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU  BACK HERE.  WE ARE GOING TO TALK TENNIS IN A  MOMENT BUT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT  THIS BIG ANNOUNCEMENT YOU HAVE,  THIS EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT YOU  HAVE, AND IT’S ABOUT YOUR HEALTH  AND IT’S ABOUT WHAT A LOT OF  FOLKS WATCHING AND LISTENING CAN  RELATE TO THIS.  WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW?

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WONDERING  ABOUT MY NEW FITNESS JOURNEY,  AND I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT  TO COME OUT AND SAY IT, I AM  THROUGH A — IT’S THE SIGMA OF  IT IS A LAZY WAY OR WHY WOULD  YOU DO THAT?  AFTER HAVING MY FIRST KID WITH  OLYMPIA, AND PARTICULARLY AFTER  THE SECOND KID, I WAS NEVER ABLE  TO BE AT A HEALTHY WEIGHT, AND  IT’S SOMETHING I SUFFERED WITH  AND A LOT OF WOMEN ACTUALLY GO  THROUGH THIS.  I ALWAYS SAID FOR ME PERSONALLY,  I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT,  AFTER I HAD MY KIDS AND AFTER I  GOT A TAD BIT OLDER, MY BODY WAS  MISSING SOMETHING, NO MATTER  WHAT I DID, I WAS LITERALLY  PLAYING PROFESSIONAL TENNIS, AND  YOU CAN SEE, SOMETIMES I  WOULD —

I HAD THIS AWESOME  DOCUMENTARY A FEW YEARS AGO AND  YOU CAN SEE IN THE DOCUMENTARY,  MY COACH TELLING ME YOU HAVE TO  LOSE WEIGHT, YOU HAVE TO LOSE  WEIGHT.  I’M PLAYING PROFESSIONAL TENNIS  AND LITERALLY TRAINING FIVE  HOURS A DAY AND I WOULD WORK MY  WAY TO ONE POINT OF THE SCALE  AND IT WOULD NEVER GO BELOW  THAT.  FOR ME EVENTUALLY WHEN L PFRPLT  LPG ‘S CAME OUT, AND IT WAS LIKE  I CAN’T BEAT THIS OPPONENT, NO  MATTER WHAT I DO, I HAVE TO TRY  SOMETHING DIFFERENT.  EVENTUALLY, I SAW MY FRIENDS  USING IT AND I TRIED IT AND IT  ACTUALLY WORKED.  >> CRAIG AND I WERE TALKING  ABOUT THIS THIS MORNING, YOU  LENDING YOUR VOICE TO THAT, IT  DESTIGMATIZES THAT, AND YOU  PARTNERED WITH ROE, AND YOU ARE  A PAID SPOKESPERSON.  WHY LEND YOUR VOICE?

BECAUSE OF THAT EXACT  MESSAGE.  BECAUSE I LITERALLY TRIED  EVERYTHING, I MEAN, RUNNING,  WALKING, BIKING, STAIR CLIMBER.  YOU NAME IT, I DID IT, EVEN DOWN  TO TRYING TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL  SPORTS, SO IT WAS SOMETHING THAT  I FEEL LIKE — EVEN I FELT LIKE,  OKAY, I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS  BECAUSE IT IS A SHORTCUT, OR IT  IS, LIKE, A QUICK WAY OUT.  BUT IT ACTUALLY ISN’T, AND  THERE’S SOMETHING PERSONALLY,  LIKE I SAID, MY BODY IN  PARTICULAR WAS MISSING AFTER  HAVING TWO KIDS, I WAS NOT ABLE  TO BE AT A WEIGHT THAT WAS  HEALTHY FOR ME, AND I FEEL THAT  A LOT OF PEOPLE — FIRST OF ALL,  I LOVE WORKING WITH RO, BECAUSE  IT MAKES IT SO EASY TO GET THE  MEDICATION YOU NEED.  YOU CAN ASK ALL KINDS OF  QUESTIONS, AND THEY MAKE THE  EXPERIENCE REALLY EXCITING SO I  REALLY LOVE THAT.  YEAH, I JUST FEEL LIKE A LOT OF  PEOPLE ARE ON IT.  >> AND DON’T TALK ABOUT IT.

YEAH, AND DON’T TALK ABOUT  IT, AND WHY ARE WE QUESTIONING?  WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT IT  AND BEEN OPEN, AND I HAVE BEEN  KIND OF OPEN MOST OF MY LIFE,  AND I FEEL LIKE THERE’S NO NEED  TO NOT DENY IT, AND IT IS WHAT  IT IS AND I LOVE HOW I’M FEELING  NOW.  >> LET’S TALK TENNIS.  THE U.S. OPEN IS UNDERWAY.  YOU SPENT YEARS, A COUPLE  DECADES, SMASHING RECORDS.  DO YOU GET TIRED OF PEOPLE  COMING UP TO YOU AND SAYING,  SERENA, WHEN ARE YOU COMING  BACK?  YOU COMING BACK?  YOU LOOK GREAT.  LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE TRAINING TO  COME BACK.

I DON’T KNOW.  I DON’T KNOW IF I GET TIRED OF  IT, I DON’T REALLY HEAR THE  NOISE OR LISTEN TO, AND I KIND  OF MUTE OUT EVERYTHING, GOTTEN  GOOD AT MUTING OUT THE NOISE,  BUT, YOU KNOW, IT’S A SPORT I  LOVE.  >> YOU MISS IT?  >>

I DO.  I THINK THERE’S ALWAYS A PART  THAT WILL MISS IT, BECAUSE WHEN  YOU DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR ENTIRE  LIFE FROM THE DAY YOU REMEMBER,  YOU ALWAYS HAD A GOAL AND THEN  ONE DAY YOU WAKE UP AND YOU  HAVE — THAT’S NOT YOUR GOAL  ANYMORE.  IT’S A HUGE CHANGE.  BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I HAVE SO  MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES, YOU  KNOW.  I HAD SO MANY GREAT TIMES, AND,  YEAH, I CAN ALWAYS TAKE SOLACE  IN THAT.

ANY PLANS TO CHEER ON VENUS? RIGHT, I’M SO EXCITED.  YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, I WILL BE  CHEERING HER ON AND ROOTING HER  ON THE WHOLE WAY.  PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT SHE’S  DOING.  REMARKABLE.  YEAH, SHE’S TALKING ABOUT HER  HEALTH JOURNEY.  SHE ANNOUNCED HER ENGAGEMENT  RECENTLY, AND WE’RE EXCITED FOR  HER.  YOU HAVE BEEN MARRIED ALMOST A  DECADE.  ANY ADVICE?  I CAN’T BELIEVE IT.  WELL, MY ADVICE IS TO ALWAYS  HAVE FUN, YOU KNOW, TO ALWAYS GO  ON DATES AND TO TAKE A MOMENT  AND JUST, LIKE, DANCE, LET YOUR  GUARD DOWN, LET YOU FEEL  VULNERABLE.  YOU HAVE THESE DIFFERENT  MOMENTS.  I’M NO EXPERT, AND I’M  DEFINITELY NOT PERFECT, I  MEAN   YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE  BACHELORETTE PARTY?   WE ALREADY HAD THAT.

>> OH, OKAY.  >> BUT WE ARE PLANNING LOTS OF  DIFFERENT PARTIES AND EVENTS AND  IT’S ACTUALLY OVERWHELMING, AND  I TOLD VENUS YESTERDAY, ONE MORE  THING YOU WANT ME TO DO, AND I’M  DONE.  THAT’S IT.  >> SPEAKING OF YOUR SISTER, AND  I READ RECENTLY YOU ARE STARTING  A PODCAST.  >> WE ARE.  WE ARE STARTING A PODCAST.  WE DECIDED TO NAME IT STOCKTON  STREET.  >> FOR FOLKS THAT DON’T KNOW  WHY, STOCKTON STREET?  >> STOCKTON STREET IS THE TREAT  WE GREW UP ON.  VENUS CAME UP WITH THE GAME, AND  WE HAD LOTS OF NAMES AND  EVERYTHING WAS TAKEN AND THEN  SHE SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK  ABOUT STOCKTON STREET, AND I  SAID, THAT’S IT.

DONE.  >> IT WAS SUCH A GOOD  OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE IT HAS SO  MUCH HISTORY ON IT AND WE ALSO  JUST LOVE TO THINK ABOUT  BRANDING IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND  DIFFERENT SORTS AND FEELING LIKE  STOCKTON STREET IS SOMETHING  THAT — WELL, IT’S STILL THERE  AND WILL ALWAYS BE THERE, SO  YEAH, WE CAN KIND OF JUST LIVE  ON AND TALK ABOUT LOTS OF  DIFFERENT THINGS ON OUR PODCAST.  >> IT’S PART OF WHO YOU GUYS