'Champion, Queen, Goddess': Serena Williams silences French Open fashion critics with a zany superhero-inspired ensemble covered in empowering words - after the tournament banned her 'disrespectful' skintight catsuit
- The 37-year-old won her match against Russian tennis player Vitalia Diatchenko
- She started off on the wrong foot, losing the first set 2-6, but soon found her rhythm and went on to dominate the second two, winning 6-1, 6-0
- Serena wore a navy-and-white crop top and skirt, that had fishnet across the stomach and was designed by Off-White's Virgil Abloh and Nike
- She shared images of the ensemble the day before the tournament, revealing that it also comes with a cape and a long navy-and-white skirt
- Virgil and Nike were also responsible for the funky tutu dresses the mother-of-one wore at the 2018 US Open
- It was revealed in August last year that the French Tennis Federation had chosen to ban the black Nike catsuit that Serena wore at the 2018 French Open
- The FTF president said the organization had chosen to introduce new rules to regulate players' outfits, calling Serena's catsuit 'disrespectful to the game'
She may have been banned from wearing at catsuit at last year's French Open, but the controversy hasn't stopped Serena Williams making a fashion statement on the court.
The tennis star, 37, turned heads in an unusual superhero-inspired outfit, designed by Virgil Abloh and Nike.
The black and white ensemble even comes with a cape featuring the words 'Mother, Champion, Queen, Goddess' in French, although she did not wear this while playing.
Making a statement: Serena Williams made her debut at the French Open in a wacky navy-and-white ensemble designed by Off-White's Virgil Abloh and Nike
Powerful: The outfit had several empowering words written into the design in French
Saucy: Her crop top and skirt also featured black fishnet across the stomach, and she wore it with matching navy-and-white sneakers
Make a statement like Serena in Off-White x Nike
Serena Williams went for the bold when she stepped out for the French Open recently - and we are 100% behind this look for more reasons than one!
This kit was designed by Virgil Abloh for Off-White in collaboration with Nike, and it certainly was meaningful considering what happened at the last French Open for the tennis star (think: the infamous catsuit). This kit incorporated words like "queen" and "champion" in French - and Serena said "it's all positive reinforcement for me," which we couldn't love more. And while this collection isn't available for purchase online any longer, you can take Serena for inspiration for your next workout.
To check out the Serena Williams Off-White x Nike sneakers that are also debuting soon, click right! Otherwise, we rounded up some other black and white workout beauties below so you can sweat in style this summer.
Making a statement: The cape-style jacket had the words 'mother', 'queen', 'champion', and 'goddess' written on the front in French
A new look: Serena, 37, debuted her new look on social media the day before the tournament, revealing that it comes complete with a long cape and a maxi skirt
It comes after Williams was banned from wearing her trademark catsuits, with French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli saying in August of last year: 'I believe we have sometimes gone too far.
'Serena’s outfit, for example, would no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place.'
At the time, it was thought that many of the custom outfits for this year's tournament were already well underway in terms of the design, however Giudicelli revealed that the FTF would be asking manufacturers to see them in advance.
He added that Roland Garros' updated rules wouldn't be as strict as Wimbledon's, which require that players wear white, but would 'impose certain limits'.
His announcement came just months after the 2018 tournament, when Serena had spoken out to explain the medical reasoning behind her catsuit, insisting that it was not meant to be a saucy fashion statement, but rather a means of looking after her body following the birth of her daughter.
The aim of the long sleeves and legs was, she said, to protect her because of past bouts with blood clots.
Share this article
Banned: After the French Open last year, the French Tennis Federation changed the regulations surrounding player attire, banning the tight catsuit that Serena had worn
Coming back stronger: Serena clearly wasn't happy to go down without a sartorial fight, showing up in a very bold look that features empowering words like 'queen' and 'champion'
Layers: When Serena first started playing, she was wearing a plain, long-sleeved black sports jacket, which she removed after playing the first few points
Staying warm! Under the black jacket, Serena was wearing a long-sleeved shirt in the same navy-and-white pattern as the rest of her outfit
Ready to go: She peeled it off to reveal the crop top and fishnet combination underneath
With the outfit, she also wanted to send about self-worth and feeling powerful as she returned to Grand Slam action about nine months after giving birth to her daughter Olympia Ohanian.
'It feels like this suit represents all the women that have been through a lot mentally, physically, with their body to come back and have confidence and to believe in themselves,' she said at the time. 'I definitely feel like it is an opportunity for me to inspire a whole different group of amazing women and kids.'
While the mother-of-one seems to have stuck to the new rules regarding player attire, she certainly wasn't willing to go down without a sartorial fight - something she made very clear with her bold ensemble on Monday.
Although perhaps more traditional than a catsuit in its skirt-and-top design, the vibrant pattern and multiple layers meant that all eyes couldn't help but remain on Serena throughout the match, which she won two sets to one, even as she was warming up and began removing different layers.
Upon her arrival at the court, Serena was wearing a long-sleeved jacket in the same pattern as her skirt, with words like 'champion' and 'goddess' written in French across the front, and framed in the traditional Off-White double quotation marks.
When she began warming up the mother-of-one removed the jacket, to reveal a plain black long-sleeved sports jacket, which she wore for the first few points. After that was removed, it was revealed that Serena had on a long-sleeved shirt in the same navy-and-white pattern as her skirt and crop top.
Frustrating: The match did not get off to the best start, with Serena losing the first set against Russian Vitalia Diatchenko 2-6
Fighting: Serena found her stride after the first set and went on dominate the second two, winning them swiftly 6-1, 6-0
Stress: There were certainly several moments of visible frustration during the match
Save: Had she lost, it would have been only the second loss of Serena's career in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament - after her defeat to Virginie Razzano at Roland Garros in 2012
Finally, she stripped down to the base look: a crop top and skirt combo that had fishnet detailing across the stomach.
The day before her match, Serena took to social media to reveal the full look behind her on-court ensemble, sharing a series of powerful images of herself modeling the complete outfit, which comes complete with a long skirt and cape-style cover up.
In the black-and-white photos, Serena can be seen proudly showing off the outfit while posing with its designer, Off-White's Virgil Abloh, as well as several models wearing other Off-White x Nike designs.
And her superhero outfit seems to have worked wonders, as she overcame a slow start for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 win over 83rd-ranked Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia in her opener.
Williams had completed only three matches since her Australian Open ended four months ago, and she cited a bothersome left knee when pulling out of her past two tournaments.
Earlier this month, Williams announced that she was pulling out of the Italian open 'due to pain in her left knee', saying in a statement: 'I must withdraw from the Italian Open due to pain in my left knee.
Compare and contrast: Serena's outfit was certainly more out-there than her opponent's, however both women opted for a monochromatic theme
Putting it out there: Russian player Vitalia Diatchenko also wore a patterned jacket like Serena
Bold: Serena modeled her new outfit alongside Off-White designer Virgil, as well as multiple other models who were also wearing Off-White x Nike designs
Collaborators: Serena and Virgil have worked together for many years, and also teamed up on her tutu look for the 2018 US Open
Special: The tutu outfit came in black and purple, featured a daring one shoulder design
'I will miss the fans and competition at one of my favorite tournaments. I’ll be concentrating on rehab and look forward to seeing you all at the French Open and next year in Rome.'
So it may have come as no surprise to some to see the player needing a bit of time to ease into the match; during an error-filled first set, Williams was constantly shaking her head and yelling at herself as she made a number of annoying mistakes.
But the 23-time Grand Slam champion quickly changed the momentum by winning the opening three games of the second set, and from there she went on to dominate the second two sets of the match, winning them 6-1, 6-0.
After committing 14 unforced errors in the first set, Williams then had a total of 10 in the second and third sets.
Following the match, Williams seemed more relieved than pleased at avoiding what would have been only the second loss of her career in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament - after her defeat to Virginie Razzano at Roland Garros in 2012.
Williams came into the tournament ranked at number 10, behind her fellow American Sloane Stephens, who was ranked at number 7.
Japanese player Naomi Osaka, who beat Williams in a controversial final match of the US Open last year, is ranked at number 1.
