If it’s not one thing, it’s another.
Last month, Serena Williams called out the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for constantly targeting her in “random” drug testing, and now her attire is being targeted. Williams is banned from wearing a catsuit to the French Open due to a newly-enforced dress code, the Associated Press reported Friday (Aug. 24).
Bernard Guidicelli, president of the French Tennis Federation, announced that he will “impose certain limits” on what players are allowed to wear, similar to other tennis tournaments, like Wimbledon where players are only allowed to wear white. “I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far,” Guidicelli said in an interview for Tennis magazine’s special 500th edition.
Guidicelli went on to single Williams out for her catsuit. “It will no longer be accepted,” he said. “One must respect the game and the place.”
Guidicelli added that the FTT will request an advanced look at players’ uniforms, many of which have already been made for 2019.
Williams debuted the belted catsuit at the French Open in May, where she scored her first Grand Slam win since giving birth to daughter, Alexis, via C-section last year.
“I feel like a warrior wearing it, a queen from Wakanda,” the tennis star told the BBC after the match. “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.”
The custom-made Nike catsuit includes breathable mesh, and is designed to prevent blood clots. “I had a lot of problems with [blood clots] — I don’t know how many I have had in the past 12 months,” Williams explained.
“It definitely has little functionality to it,” she said of the catsuit. “It’s a fun suit, but it’s also functional so I’m able to play without any problems.”
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