As tennis legend Serena Williams stepped out on the US Open court earlier this month, she left a fashionable mark in a little black tennis dress, with sheer sleeves, six-layer skirt and a bodice sparkling with a galaxy of stars. It was fitting, given that it is thought to be the last time she would play the sport and perfectly symbolised her journey this far.
“Serena is not someone who is afraid to put herself out there when it comes to her sartorial choices. From glamorous cover shoots in stunning evening gowns to turning up at the 2021 MET Gala in a dramatic pink feather-laden cape over a bodysuit, she has surprised us all and was met with some head-scratching in the sports world,” shares stylist Lakshmi Babu.
Since she began her professional career in 1995, Serena has used her fashion choices as an agent of change and to make a political statement. What she wore, was as carefully thought through, as any game strategy she used on the courts. She “broke down the barriers of race, age and gender as well as the previous tennis clothing standards”.
Stylist Roshni Rajput, adds, “For Serena, it was more than just wearing something comfortable on court. It wasn’t limited to adding a stripe here or some neon there. She went beyond that and made sure to make not just a fashion statement but also start conversations with her on-court wardrobe.”
As one of the few Black women in tennis, and one with a body that didn’t conform to the sport’s favoured mythology, Williams was “aware of the public scrutiny that would follow her throughout her tennis career”, Babu explains, adding, “Serena strategically used it to change the playing field for everyone. Her racket was one way to do that, but fashion was another medium.”
Breaking the tennis dress code
Women’s tennis dressing was still mired in tradition when Serena and her older sister, Venus Williams, entered the tennis scene. Babu says, “The Williams sisters paved the way for Black tennis players to push the envelope when it came to traditional views on women’s tennis wear.”
Often associated with a white-washed image of a blonde pony-tailed woman zipping around the court, in a tiny little tennis skirt or dress, Serena “refused to be anything other than herself, both on and off-court”. Rajput explains, adding, “She fearlessly owned up to her striking style. Her tennis attires symbolised her independent way of thinking.”
Bringing black beauty to the tennis court
Serena in her braids, smashing on the court, brought Black beauty into the spotlight and gave Black women and little girls that much needed representation on and off-field and in pop culture.
Not just athleisure wear, Serena also dipped her toes into street wear trends with her denim and studs look, and runway trends with snakeskin and mesh. Her choices became call signs for women taking back their power and shining a light on the perceived injustices and inequalities. It also became a statement on activism, motherhood and most importantly, being a woman of colour on a sports field.