Serena Williams Shared a Message of Hope on Her "Not OK" Day

She's accepting every life experience as it comes.

Serena Williams of the United States celebrates after defeating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women's Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
(Image credit: Getty)

Serena Williams makes a point to destigmatize mental health conversations whenever she can, so when she had an off day on Tuesday, she decided to share it with her fans.

"I am not ok today," the tennis champion wrote on Twitter. "And that’s ok to not be ok. No one is ok every single day. If you are not ok today I’m with you. There’s always tomorrow. Love you."

In February 2022, Williams sat down for a chat with Prince Harry for BetterUp about mental fitness, showing how important the issue is to her.

Later that year, she gave a cover interview to Selena Gomez' mental health platform Wondermind, opening up about her own experiences.

"Mental fitness for me is just really learning to shut down," she said.

"You know, I did this years ago, before mental health was a topic on everyone’s mind. It was just like: Alright, I’m shutting myself down today. Just subconsciously it was something I’ve always done.

"And so now that I know that it is so important to put yourself first—especially mentally—I always have shut down moments. I have serious boundaries, and I don't let anyone cross those boundaries with my time.

"And it’s so bad ’cause I really don’t do anything for me. I’m terrible at that! I’ve said it time and time again: I’m working on it! But, more or less, at least prioritizing what I need to do, and then when I’m turned off, I’m turned off."

After welcoming her daughter Olympia, the tennis star also shared where she was at with her mental health.

"I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to 3 years if not dealt with," she wrote at the time, before sharing a similar message to her recent one: "I’m here to say: if you are having a rough day or week--it’s ok--I am, too!!! There’s always tomm!" she concluded.

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Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.