Serena Williams is aware of learn how to serve type and power, on and off the court docket. The 43-year-old tennis legend turned heads on Thursday as she arrived at a reception on the La Reconquista Resort in Oviedo, Spain, forward of receiving the celebrated Princess of Asturias Award for Sports activities on Friday. All eyes had been on Serena as she made her grand entrance in a tan, figure-hugging midi gown that includes a classy layered neckline that accentuated her sculpted body. Serena Williams accomplished the look with minimal jewellery and a radiant glow, embodying each class and confidence.

The Princess of Asturias Awards, held yearly in Oviedo, rejoice distinctive contributions in fields similar to the humanities, literature, science, and sports activities. The occasion has lengthy acknowledged worldwide trailblazers who redefine excellence, and Serena joins a exceptional roster of previous honorees.

Previous winners embody Olympic marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge (2023), badminton champion Carolina Marín (2024), and the Olympic Refuge Basis and IOC Refugee Olympic Staff (2022), every honored for his or her impression each inside and out of doors competitors.

Earlier recipients additionally embody rally driver Carlos Sainz (2020), snowboarding icon Lindsey Vonn (2019), and mountaineering legends Reinhold Messner and Krzysztof Wielicki (2018). With this 12 months’s recognition, Serena cements her place amongst a lineage of world sports activities pioneers who encourage by resilience, legacy, and management.

Whereas followers have been celebrating Serena’s return to the highlight, many have additionally observed her dramatic transformation. The 23-time Grand Slam champion lately revealed she’s shed 31 kilos over the previous 12 months, a journey she opened up about in interviews with PEOPLE and the “TODAY” present.

Serena credited her ends in half to Zepbound, a GLP-1 treatment designed to manage blood sugar and urge for food, the identical class of medicine as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. “It’s left me feeling mild bodily and light-weight mentally,” she instructed PEOPLE, explaining that her purpose was by no means nearly aesthetics however general well-being.

Her honesty follows months of hypothesis after she shared a sequence of post-workout selfies that went viral, prompting rumors she might have turned to weight-loss injections. Serena shut down the chatter with honesty and transparency, saying she’s happy with taking cost of her well being.

Even along with her latest weight reduction making headlines, Serena insists that her confidence has by no means wavered. “Weight reduction ought to by no means actually change your self-image,” she instructed PEOPLE. “Ladies typically expertise judgment about their our bodies at any dimension, and I am no stranger to that. So I really feel like you need to love your self at any dimension and any look.”

The tennis legend defined that her transformation was by no means about chasing perfection or stress, however it was about consolation and well being. “I’ve by no means felt that stress to keep up a sure look,” Serena admitted. “I all the time felt comfy at any dimension, whether or not I used to be loads heavier or not. I do really feel like my physique did not like me at that weight. I had ache in my joints and ache in several areas simply due to the additional weight that I am not used to carrying since I had youngsters.”

Nonetheless, she made it clear that her former determine wasn’t one thing she resented, it was simply one thing she selected to alter for herself.

The tennis icon additionally mentioned she’s made it a precedence to speak overtly about physique picture and self-worth at house, particularly after spending her life within the highlight. “With me going by what I’ve went by rising up in public and simply having hundreds of thousands of individuals commenting on my physique, it’s actually vital to show them to be assured at any dimension, similar to I attempt to be,” Serena instructed the journal.