Talk of the tennis court: Serena’s style trail

For her latest stint at the French Open, Serena Williams hit the court in a custom-made outfit, with words like ‘Mother’, ‘Champion’, ‘Goddess’ and ‘Queen’ emblazoned on it in French. “It talks about me being a mom and me being a queen, as all women are,” she said. At the 2018 French Open, Serena’s catsuit had stirred controversy and was later banned for being “disrespectful to the game and place”, but she took it all in stride.Serena has long been a symbol of resilience and power, smashing obsolete rules on dress codes for female players. You could say that her love for tennis is only rivalled by her love for fashion. Here, we give you a flash back of her most iconic and empowering outfits.
1992
An 11-year-old Serena, looking all geared up for becoming a tennis great. Here, she trains in a beautiful two-piece in Florida.
2004 U.S. Open
Serena sent shock waves through the tennis community as she strode on to court in a studded tank top, a denim mini skirt and hoop earrings. Her outfit, she said, was inspired by late American actor James Dean, who was an icon to the socially estranged, rebellious and restless youth of the ’50s.
2008 Wimbledon
Wimbledon restricts the colour choices of players to an all-white palette. But Serena gave it a personal twist as she donned a sleek white summer trench on top of her dress. “It's very movable. It's very light. It's just delectable,” she said. Complementing Serena's outfit was Roger Federer's cardigan, as both seemed to defy the glorious afternoon sun.
2014 U.S open
Serena was on the prowl at the 2014 US open in a leopard print dress that got her praise from all quarters. While this season saw felines conspicuously strutting around in our wardrobes, Serena tapped into the fierce cat look back in 2014.
2016 Australian Open
Serena’s look brought more excitement to the court as she wore a popping yellow crop top and a pleated skirt that she designed for herself. Serena, however, came under the haters’ radar for exposing her midriff.
2018 French Open
Last year, Williams arrived on the court wearing a black catsuit, calling it “Wakanda–Inspired”. While her husband called it a “superhero outfit”, not everybody was on the same page. The French Tennis Federation felt that it was an utter “disrespect” of the game and banned the catsuit after the tournament. Serena had said that the catsuit was meant to protect her against blood clots post-delivery.
Serena Williams made a grand opening at this year’s French Open in a custom outfit that consisted of a crop top, miniskirt and a mesh overlay with a cape-like jacket displaying Serena’s message for women