(Photo: Essence Magazine, July 2013)

Serena Williams knows a thing or two about keeping her body fit and loving the challenges it gets her through. For Essence's July 2013 issue, the tennis star is pulling duty as cover girl to show us what she's working with and as guest editor for the magazine's "body issue." Inside, she encourages Black women to love their bodies curves and all because when it comes to shapely physiques, Williams knows the attention can be less than pleasant.
"It can be a bit weird," she admits. "Before it was, 'Serena has a big butt,' and that was all. Now there are way more people who feel comfortable with themselves and they're saying, 'I'm a woman, and this is what I look like.' I always say, 'We're popular now! We're finally in style!'"
Now, the 31-year-old, who credits late sister Tunde for teaching her how to embrace her curves, says she's in the best shape of her life and rocks a blue ombre Carmen Marc Valvo swimsuit for the cover as proof.
To read how Williams dealt with her battle against a pulmonary embolism and where she turned to for support, check out the July 2013 issue of Essence, on newsstands now.
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