YAS! Serena Williams Poses in a Thong Bikini for Sports Illustrated

Serena Williams is back in Sports Illustrated, but this time she’s wearing a thong bikini — and she looks fabulous!

This marks her first time ever wearing a thong bikini in print, but that didn’t scare her one bit.

“I’ve never worn a thong bikini, so for that to be my first shot was like a shot of espresso for me because I had to wake up immediately,” she said to SI. “The thong is perfect, it really made me feel comfortable. I’m officially a thong girl now! The lying-down [photos] came out really well because they almost stretched my body out and made it go with the beautiful background…

“The shower scene was amazing, because I also wanted to do something like that,” she added. “I’ve always wanted to let go — let my hair wet, let my face wet and take a supernatural picture that was strong and beautiful at the same time, and I really feel like we were able to achieve that with that shot.”

But more than showing off her curves, she has a special message for girls:

“I want people to come away with the fact that it’s okay to be comfortable in your body,” she said. “I’m not a size two. It’s okay to look good and feel good and I’m strong. It’s okay to look strong and to be sexy and to be a woman and to be unbreakable — all those things. I really want to have that influence for people out there that have my body type. I want them to be like, ‘I look good too.’ That’s what I hope for.”

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