The French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli, says the tournament is introducing a dress code to regulate players’ uniforms. The catsuit Williams wore this year will no longer be accepted. Staceyann Chin says his comments are insulting.
Serena Williams was the highest-paid female athlete for a third consecutive year in 2018, according to an annual list published by Forbes on Tuesday that was dominated by tennis players.
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In an interview published recently in a French tennis magazine, the French official singled out the black figure-hugging catsuit that Williams wore as he revealed that the tournament would institute a dress code. “It will no longer be accepted,” Giudicelli said of the catsuit. “I think sometimes we’ve gone too far. One must respect the game and place.”
Commentators immediately accused Giudicelli of disrespecting Williams. After all, Williams had said that while the catsuit made her feel like a “queen from Wakanda,” it also had an important health application, helping her control her circulation following a difficult childbirth last September.
The backlash continued into Saturday, with Hall of Famer Billie Jean King weighing in on Twitter.
Williams explained that the catsuit issue is moot anyway, as she has since found “other methods” for addressing her circulation concerns. For instance, at Wimbledon, she wore white compression leggings.
“I wear tights that keep everything going with my blood,” Williams said.
She added, laughing: “When it comes to fashion, you don’t want to be repeat offender.”
The sartorial experiments are just another part of a life transformed for Williams.
“I feel like everything is just different, in terms of I’m living a different life, I’m playing the US Open as a mom,” Williams said. “It’s just new and it’s fresh.”
But she warned that the mellowing influence of motherhood only goes so far.
“If anything, I have more fire in my belly,” she said. “It’s very difficult to describe. I thought after having a child, I would be more relaxed. I think I’ve said this before, but I’m not. I work just as hard, if not harder, actually. I just feel like I take it just as serious, if not more. That’s been really surprising for me.”
The final Grand Slam event of the year begins Monday.
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