SERENA WILLIAMS showed off her sensational figure as she posed up a storm for the much-talked about Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Serena Williams posed in a red bikini as part of the smouldering Sports Illustrated shoot

The 42-year-old  flaunted her incredibly pert derrière in one sizzling snap, with her posing in a 𝑠e𝑥y red bikini, while she stood underneath a shower.

Another equally-as-stunning shot showed the tennis champion showcasing some major cleavage in a bright blue one piece, with her posing in front of the crystal blue ocean and wearing her brunette locks natural and curly.

A further image, shared on the publication’s Instagram account, then showed Serena lying down on the beach, with her playfully kicking her legs up into the air and smiling sweetly at the camera.

In the accompanying video interview for the shoot, Serena admitted that “it’s okay not to be a size two and still look and feel good”.

She shared: “I want people to come away with the fact that it’s okay to be comfortable in your body.

“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.”

Serena Williams urged women to be body confident in the accompanying interview

Serena added: “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.”

She continued to say of the shoot: “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.

“The thong is perfect, it really made me feel comfortable. I’m officially a thong girl now!”