Serena Williams: Catsuit, biker outfit, leopard print, tribute to Flo Jo - many dresses for success

[caption id=“attachment_11174181” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Catsuit, not wet suit– When Williams won her second US Open in 2002, she did it dressed in a Lycra catsuit. She said: “This is more of a cat suit. It’s not a wet suit. This is made of Lycra. It kind of really sticks to what type of shape you have. If you don’t have a decent shape, this isn’t the best outfit to have.”[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174191” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2004 French Open: Williams appeared at Roland Garros in a bright pink two-piece outfit designed by Nike. Her headband was emblazoned with the letter ‘S’ while her crop-top revealed a belly button stud. Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174501” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2004 US Open: Williams’s initial dilemma was whether or not she would be allowed to play at the US Open in knee-high boots rather than tennis shoes. “You can wear them while you’re playing, I’m sure,” she said before removing them. “It’s like a rebel-look, when I’m being really rebellious. I’m just doing things different with the black and the studs. I’m just being a rebel. So maybe I would start out with something like, ‘Serena’s going rebel without a cause’.” Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174201” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2008 Wimbledon: Serena lost the 2008 Wimbledon final to sister Venus but made a statement when she arrived on Centre Court at the start of the tournament wearing a white trench coat. Britain’s Daily Express captioned the moment: ‘Game, Set and Mac, Miss Williams.’ Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174211” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2014 US Open: Pink leopard print for day matches, black for the night at the 2014 US Open. Nike called it: “The fierce Nike Serena Dress.” Fellow player Elena Vesnina told USA Today: “She’s trying to show her curves. That’s a good thing -– you’re showing the best part of your body and you’re covering some kind of things that you don’t want to show. Serena looks really good in it.” Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174221” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2018 French Open: One of Serena’s most controversial outfits was her black catsuit unveiled at Roland Garros. “I feel like a warrior in it, a warrior princess from Wakanda,” said Serena, in reference to the hit movie, Black Panther. “I’ve always wanted to be a superhero.” The French Open, however, took a dim view and banned it at future events with French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli insisting: “One must respect the game and the place.” Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174231” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2018 US Open: After the French Open ban, the American appeared at Flushing Meadows in a black tutu dress. The top of the costume had one long sleeve while the right-hand side was sleeveless. “It’s easy to play in. Kind of aerodynamic with the one arm free. It feels really good. Yeah, the tutu is easy to play in because I practiced in it before. That was fun,” she said. Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174311” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2021 Australian Open: At Melbourne Park, the American wore a brightly-coloured red, pink and black one-piece outfit with just the right leg covered. It was, she said, a tribute to late US sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner. “FloJo was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up. Well, watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing,” explained Williams. Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174241” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2021 Wimbledon: Williams appeared on court with a removable white train. Her fashion statement, however, was quickly forgotten when she was forced to retire from her first round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich with a right leg injury after just six games. Image: AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11174301” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 2022 US Open: For her final bow at the US Open, Williams’s outfit caught the eye, a skirt designed with six layers — one tier for every US Open title she has won — and a diamond-encrusted bodice. “It is a dress made for a supernova’s farewell,” said The New York Times. Williams later revealed she had adapted the dress on the fly. “I have six layers to represent the six wins but I took four out because it was too heavy,” she said. Image: AP[/caption]