Nike has defended Serena Williams following the French Open’s decision to ban her notorious black catsuit which she wore during the 2018 tournament.
The clothing and footwear company tweeted an image of the Tennis star wearing the outfit with the caption: ‘You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers.’
French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Guidicelli, issued the dress code last week because ‘sometimes we’ve gone too far’, he told Tennis magazine.
Nike has defended Serena Williams following the French Open’s decision to ban her notorious black catsuit which she wore during the 2018 tournament
Serena Williams pictured in her outfit during the 2018 French Open Tennis Tournament
He added: ‘[The catsuit] will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.’
The decree caused an outcry on social media, with people queueing up to attack the symbolism of the move.
Yet the 23-time Grand Slam champion did not wish to fuel the indignation.
Following her win over Kristyna Pliskova in the first round at Roland Garros, Williams told reporters about the medical reason behind her decision to wear the outfit.
‘I had a lot of problems with my blood clots and, God, I don’t know how many I have had in the past 12 months,’ she said. ‘So it is definitely a little functionality to it,’ reported Sporting News.
She went on to describe the great relationship she has with the French Federation.
Following her win over Kristyna Pliskova in the first round at Roland Garros, Williams told reporters about the medical reason behind her decision to wear the outfit
‘I feel like if they know that some things are for health reasons, then there’s no way that they wouldn’t be okay with it, so I think it’s fine,’ she said.
‘The president of the French Federation, he’s been really amazing. He’s been so easy to talk to.
‘My whole team is basically French, so we have a wonderful relationship. I’m sure we would come to an understanding and everything will be okay.’
This year’s French Open was Williams’ first appearance in a Grand Slam tournament after announcing her pregnancy in April 2017.
Many player uniforms for 2019 have already been designed but Giudicelli said the FFT will be asking manufacturers for an advance look at them.
He said Roland Garros’ new rules won’t be as strict as Wimbledon’s, which require that players wear white, but will “impose certain limits.”