Breaking news:Serena Williams forced French Open rule change after wearing iconic catsuit that made her feel like a ‘superhero’:see More .

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is considered one of the greatest players of all time as she dominated the sport in a career that extended over three different decades.

The now-retired icon also drove the women’s’ game into an new era of athleticism, while never being afraid to push the boundaries when it came to fashion.

At the 2022 US Open — her final Grand Slam before retiring from the sport — she wore a typically iconic custom-made figure-skating dress.

Although her ability to move the fashion needle was never more the case than at the 2018 French Open, when Williams stunned fans by wearing a black catsuit as she won her first Grand Slam match since giving birth.

The former world no.1 said at the time that the outfit made her feel like a ‘warrior’, with it drawing comparisons to the Marvel film Black Panther released that year

Tennis
Serena Williams forced French Open rule change after wearing iconic catsuit that made her feel like a ‘superhero’
Mohamud AhmedMartha Riley
Published: 11:30, 30 May 2025Updated: 12:20, 30 May 2025
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Serena Williams’ impact on tennis cannot be understated.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is considered one of the greatest players of all time as she dominated the sport in a career that extended over three different decades.

Williams felt like a ‘superhero’ in all black catsuit at 2018 French Open
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Williams felt like a ‘superhero’ in all black catsuit at 2018 French OpenCredit: GETTY
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The now-retired icon also drove the women’s’ game into an new era of athleticism, while never being afraid to push the boundaries when it came to fashion.

At the 2022 US Open — her final Grand Slam before retiring from the sport — she wore a typically iconic custom-made figure-skating dress.

Although her ability to move the fashion needle was never more the case than at the 2018 French Open, when Williams stunned fans by wearing a black catsuit as she won her first Grand Slam match since giving birth.

The former world no.1 said at the time that the outfit made her feel like a ‘warrior’, with it drawing comparisons to the Marvel film Black Panther released that year.

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“I always wanted to be a superhero, and it’s kind of my way of being a superhero,” she said.

It was revealed in a social media post after the match that the design had helped the American to control the blood clots which had placed her life at risk after giving birth.

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She shared a picture of the iconic bodysuit with the caption: “Catsuit anyone? For all the moms out there who had a tough recovery from pregnancy – here you go.

“If I can do it, so can you. Love you all!!”

But this did not go down well with all in the sport.

Later that summer, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli announced that the tournament would be introducing a dress code to ban similar looks to the tennis legend’s.