Are GLP-1s Performance-Enhancing Drugs?
Serena Williams's return to tennis has raised questions about the use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications as potential performance-enhancing drugs. Williams, a paid spokesperson for a telehealth company that specializes in such medications, has credited the drug tirzepatide with helping her lose weight and improve her training. The World Anti-Doping Agency is monitoring the use of GLP-1s, but experts are divided on whether they have the potential to improve athleticism.
- ▪Serena Williams used a GLP-1 weight-loss medication to lose 34 pounds and improve her training.
- ▪The World Anti-Doping Agency is keeping a close eye on the use of GLP-1s in sports, but has not yet banned them.
- ▪Experts are divided on whether GLP-1s have the potential to improve athleticism, with some arguing that they could exacerbate eating disorders.
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HealthAre GLP-1s Performance-Enhancing Drugs?A weight-loss medication eased Serena Williams’s comeback. Experts can’t agree on whether that’s doping.By Nicholas FlorkoIllustration by Lucy Naland. Sources: Michael Siluk / UCG / Universal Images Group / Getty; Paul Harding / Getty.June 20, 2026, 9 AM ET ShareSave Before Serena Williams picked up her racket at London’s Andy Murray Arena last week, two questions hung over her return to tennis.First: How would she do? She answered that, in her first competition in nearly four years, by winning. The 44-year-old and her doubles partner, the 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, ended up besting the third seed in their opening match of the Queen’s Club tournament.
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