- French Open to introduce new dress code for 2019 tournament
- FFT president says: ‘One must respect the game and the place’
Serena Williams will no longer be allowed to wear her skin-tight black catsuit at the French Open.
The French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli, says the tournament that Williams has won three times is introducing a dress code to regulate players’ uniforms because “I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far”.
In an interview in Tennis Magazine’s 500th edition, Giudicelli singled out the figure-hugging black suit that Williams wore for her first-round at Roland Garros and said made her feel like a superhero.
Giudicelli said: “It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place”.
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”.
Many player uniforms for 2019 have already been designed but Giudicelli said the FFT will be asking manufacturers for an advance look at them.
Williams wore the skin-tight black catsuit for her opening match at Roland Garros this year, a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Kristyna Pliskova on Court Philippe Chatrier, saying it made her feel like a superhero and dedicating it to new mothers.
“It feels like this suit represents all the women that have been through a lot mentally, physically, with their body to come back and have confidence and to believe in themselves,” said Williams, who was returning from a long layoff after the birth of her first child.
She added: “I definitely feel like it is an opportunity for me to inspire a whole different group of amazing women and kids.”
Williams’ bodysuit was more than a fashion statement. The full-length outfit is designed to protect against blood clots.
The 36-year-old American gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia on 1 September, then dealt with serious complications related to a pulmonary embolism. After her recovery Williams revealed that she almost died giving birth.
“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. So it is definitely a little functionality to it,” Williams said.
Williams is seeded 17th at the US Open, which begins in earnest on Monday, but enters as the betting favorite at the tournament where she has won six of her 23 grand slam titles.