Serena Williams didn’t just play tennis; she used the court as a medium for self-expression, identity, and political statement. Over her career, her outfits frequently challenged the conservative, historically white, and rigid traditions of tennis attire.
While some designs sparked intense debates, a couple actually forced tennis federation executives to rewrite their rulebooks.
1. The Black Catsuit (French Open, 2018)
The 2018 Catsuit and Tutu.
- The Backstory: Serena had recently returned to Grand Slam tennis after a life-threatening childbirth experience involving severe pulmonary embolisms (blood clots). The compression suit was explicitly designed to help stimulate her blood circulation and prevent dangerous clots during play.
- The Backlash & Ban: Months later, Bernard Giudicelli, the president of the French Tennis Federation, singled out the outfit, declaring it would no longer be accepted. He famously stated, “I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far. It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.”
- The Cultural Impact: The ban triggered massive global backlash, with fans and athletes accusing the tournament of policing Black women’s bodies and ignoring a legitimate medical necessity. Serena responded with characteristic grace, joking that she had found other ways to circulate her blood, but the moment solidified the catsuit as a symbol of resilience.
2. The Virgil Abloh Tutu (US Open, 2018)
Just days after the French Open catsuit ban made headlines, Serena stepped onto the hard courts of New York in a brilliant piece of fashion rebellion.
- The Outfit: A collaboration between Nike and the late, legendary Off-White designer Virgil Abloh. It featured a single-sleeved top attached to a tiered, flared tulle ballerina tutu, paired with fishnet compression tights.
- The Statement: While it wasn’t banned—the US Open has historically been much more permissive of expressive fashion—it was widely viewed as a direct, poetic counter-statement to the French Open’s rigid dress code. It leaned heavily into hyper-femininity right after her previous outfit had been deemed “too masculine” or unorthodox.
3. The Denim Skirt and Knee-High Boots (US Open, 2004)
Long before sportswear and streetwear officially merged, Serena brought pure, unfiltered early-2000s MTV energy to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The 2004 Denim Kit.
- The Outfit: A studded black crop top, a pleated acid-wash micro denim skirt, and removable knee-high black sneaker boots.
- The Controversy: Officials were visibly anxious about the boots, prompting Serena to seek special permission to wear them during warm-ups. She unzipped the calf extensions before the match began to play in standard low-top sneakers, but the image of a tennis player rocking a denim miniskirt shocked traditionalists who felt it degraded the professional look of the sport.
4. The Neon Pink Bodysuit & Catsuit 2.0 (Australian Open, 2021)
At the 2021 Australian Open, Serena paid homage to another sporting pioneer, track legend Florence Griffith Joyner (“Flo-Jo”), by rocking an asymmetric, one-legged neon jumpsuit.
- The Design: One leg was fully covered in a black, pink, and red color block pattern, while the other leg was cut short like traditional bike shorts.
- The Reaction: While it wasn’t formally banned, it divided tennis commentators. Many purists argued it was distracting to opponents, while fashion critics lauded it as a brilliant intersection of track-and-field history and tennis dominance.
The Legacy: Serena’s fashion choices forced the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to modernize. In late 2018, following the catsuit controversy, the WTA officially updated its rulebook to clarify that leggings and compression shorts without a skirt or dress over them were officially permitted in WTA tournaments. She literally rewrote the rules of the sport.
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