Serena Williams' fierce French Open outfit is fit for a 'goddess'
Serena Williams sent a fierce message with her French Open outfit.
The tennis star made a badass fashion statement at the Paris tournament on Monday, a year after angering organizers by wearing a black catsuit to deal with post-birth blood clots.
Williams warmed up on court at Roland Garros ahead of her first-round victory over Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko in a cape emblazoned with the French words for "champion," "queen", "mother" and "goddess."
Williams had previewed her outfit, designed by Virgil Abloh and Nike, on Twitter Sunday:
Let the Roland Garros begin. Here is my French Open look designed by @virgilabloh and @Nike. pic.twitter.com/niiyqoI94m
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) May 26, 2019
She famously wore a black catsuit at the 2018 French Open.
It was her return to Grand Slam tennis after almost dying giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017.
"I feel like a warrior in it, like a warrior princess kind of, (a) queen from Wakanda," Williams said at the time, in reference to the box office hit "Black Panther" movie.
"I'm always living in a fantasy world. I always wanted to be a superhero, and it's kind of my way of being a superhero," she added. "I feel like a superhero when I wear it."
"I feel like a warrior in it, like a warrior princess kind of, (a) queen from Wakanda.
I'm always living in a fantasy world. I always wanted to be a superhero, and it's kind of my way of being a superhero.
I feel like a superhero when I wear it."
- @serenawilliams#RG18pic.twitter.com/GyWeUwetIn— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 29, 2018
However, the outfit was singled out by French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli in August when he announced a new dress code for the sporting event.
"It will no longer be accepted," he reportedly said. "One must respect the game and place." Days after Giudicelli's comments, Williams wore an Abloh-designed tutu in the first round of the U.S. Open:
Thank you to the incredible @virgilabloh
A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Aug 27, 2018 at 7:52pm PDT
She followed it up with this lavender tutu, later on in the tournament:
Williams' latest on-court fashion choice has inevitably made waves on social media:
Queen 👸🏽 👑 doing Queen things! https://t.co/SMpAd6OH04
— Secola Edwards (@SecolaEdwards) May 28, 2019
@serenawilliams is everything great about professional sports. Keep on knocking down the barriers, kicking butt on court and pushing fashion in exhilarating directions. #FrenchOpenhttps://t.co/m1jQlkHmyM
— Doug Moore (@dougwmoore) May 28, 2019
Ok. It says "Champion, Queen, Mother, Goddess" 😆 Tell them! In French just to be clear. 👌❤ https://t.co/PHHoTSS0VE
— Karla Antoinette Baptiste (@KarlaLiving) May 27, 2019
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.