As Serena Williams indicated on Saturday there would be no replay of the black catsuit she wore at the French Open earlier in the year here at the US Open.
Williams, a six-time US Open champion, walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday wearing a black leather biker jacket ornamented with white stitching. Underneath she had on a black one-shoulder silhouette dress, with the other shoulder a thinner brown material, and a tulle skirt.
Williams wore the catsuit at the French Open, saying the outfit was compression-styled design to ward off blood clots. She now dons special fishnet tights to combat the problem.
Last year at this time, Williams was less than a week away from giving birth to her first child, daughter Alexis Olympia, on Sept. 1. Post-delivery, she suffered from serious blood clots, which was not the first time she’d been diagnosed with the dangerous medical condition.
The French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said the form-fitting outfit would not be permitted in the future at the tournament. That pronouncement didn’t bother Williams, who always debuts a new fashion statement at every Grand Slam.
Top fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, designed Williams’ outfit in a collaboration with Nike. A gear bag (with the words AKA Queen) and limited edition shoe completed the ensemble.
It obviously was a good luck outfit as she raced through her first-round encounter against Magda Linette of Poland 6-4, 6-0 in 70 minutes.
The American designer has been the inspiration for the Milan-based brand Off-White for a number of years, and since March is the inspiration for Louis Vuitton’s men’s wear collection.
“I guess I’m just the muse,” Williams said of wearing Abloh, who watched part of the match from her player’s box.
By USA Today
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