Serena Williams wore a tutu to the first match of the US Open on Monday in a not-so-subtle dig at the French Tennis Federation, who condemned her for wearing her now-iconic catsuit - an ensemble which, though sartorially striking, had a practical side.

The tennis player has since explained that the Black Panther-inspired outfit was helpful in preventing blood clots after she had pulmonary embolism after giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, back in September of 2017. After Williams wore the catsuit to this year's French Open, the President of the French Tennis Federation, Bernard Giudicelli, asserted that the ensemble "will no longer be accepted", and that "one must respect the game and the place."

While former tennis champ, Billie Jean King, promptly came to Williams' defence, saying that the "policing of women's bodies must end", William's approach, though lighter in tone, was no less powerful.

Now, it's been reported that a French tennis player was slapped with a violation at the US Open for taking off her shirt to readjust it while on the court.

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The tournament, which was held in Queens, New York, on Tuesday, saw temperatures reach upwards of 96 degrees, with a heat index making it feel as though it was over 100 degrees at times.

The players were given a 10-minute break to cool down and rehydrate, and French tennis player, Alizé Cornet took the opportunity to put on a fresh shirt. After returning to court, she realised that her shirt was on backwards. She quickly took off the shirt and readjusted it, prompting the umpire, Christian Rask, to slap her with a code violation.

Women's Tennis Association rules state that female players are only allowed to remove their shirts when off-court. No such rules apply for male players, who were spotted taking their shirts off frequently on Tuesday to deal with the heat.

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Cornet, who was playing Johanna Larsson, was understandably surprised by the penalty, which was handed out at the umpire's discretion.

The people of the internet were quick to point out the double standard at play here. "So Williams can’t cover up her whole body and Cornet can’t change her shirt on the court. What y’all want, man?" one Twitter user wrote, while another corroborated "US Tennis Open Alizé Cornet take top off because it was back to front and she’s been penalised for breaking the rules. And yet Novak Djokovic can change his top and nothing is said. Sexism in Tennis it’s the 21st Century FFS."

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"French player Alize Cornet handed a court violation @#USOpen for briefly removing & adjusting her shirt in blistering heat, while Djokovic can sit topless with no penalty! The disparity between male & female players sometimes is unbelievable," a third added.

Others proceeded to post pictures of topless male players.

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Cornet subsequently lost the match to Larsson.

A number of players withdrew from their matches due to the heat on Tuesday, and over 20 spectators required medical attention.

At the U.S. Open, Serena Williams hoped to take home her 24th Grand Slam, tying the record set by Margaret Court. Instead, things, uh, went a different way.

During the final, the umpire, Carlos Ramos, gave Williams a code violation for coaching. Apparently, her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, gave hand gestures during play .Claiming she didn't see any signals, Williams disputed the call. "I don't cheat to win. I'd rather lose," she said, and broke her racket in frustration. That cost her a point. Then she continued to argue, calling Ramos a "liar" and a thief. That cost her the game, a fine of $17,000, and perhaps, the Open.

The penalties sparked outrage on social media because these rules are enforced selectively, and players often passionately argue with officials. Many people, including tennis champ Billie Jean King, believed that a man who would not have been punished so harshly. For example, at the 2016 French open, Australian player Nick Kyrgios confronted Ramos, yelling, "That's bullsh*t. Are you kidding?" He was given a point penalty, not a game penalty.

20-year-old Japanese player Naomi Saka - who got pumped for the final by listening to Nicki Minaj and Eminem - defeated Williams, winning her first-ever Grand Slam. It should have been a euphoric moment. However, at the trophy ceremony, the crowd booed, apparently supporting Williams outburst. The 23-time-Grand Slam winner tried to comfort Saka, whispering that the crowd wasn't booing her.

When asked if she regretted breaking her racket on the court, Williams did not answer. However, she continues to deny receiving signals from her coach. "I just don't understand what he was talking about," said the tennis star, while speaking to The Sunday Project on Australia's Network Ten.

"I asked [Mouratoglou] 'what are you talking about you were coaching? We don't have signals, we've never had signals'. He said he made a motion. So I was like 'you made a motion and now you told people that you're coaching me - that doesn't make sense, why would you say that?'

"I was on the other side. I didn't see the motion. It was just a really confusing moment, I think, for him. What I'm trying to do most of all is to recover from that and move on."

Following the dramatic final, an Australian artist lampooned William's outburst, depicting her as an angry baby. However, when he drew a caricature of the African-American athlete, he exaggerated her facial features in a manner similar to racist Jim Crowe-era illustrations.

Many Twitter users condemned the offensive image, including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. "Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop," wrote Rowling.

And all of this came on the heels of Williams being banned from wearing her black catsuit. Instead, she competed in a frilly tutu. Well, maybe at the next U.S. Open, she'll return, tutu and all, and get that 24th Grand Slam.

Venus Williams has been stunned in the first round of Wimbledon.

15-year-old American qualifier Cori Gauff pulled off a monumental upset by defeating the former five-time champion 4-6, 4-6 on Court One in front of a captivated audience.

There are many remarkable things to note about the contest, perhaps the most striking of which is that Venus Williams, 39, turned pro 10 years before her opponent was even born.

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Gauff has previously spoken of the inspiration that the Williams sisters have provided her with, and re-iterated her admiration for the trail-blazing duo after the match;

"Venus told me congratulations and keep going, she said good luck and I told her thanks for everything she did.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her - I told her she was so inspiring and I've always wanted to tell her that but I've never had the guts to before.

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"My parents will be super happy, my dad was jumping up every time I won a point. I'm so happy they spent all their time on me and my brothers and making sure we're successful.

"I never thought this would happen. I'm literally living my dream right now.

"I'm really happy Wimbledon gave me the chance to play, I never thought I would get this far."

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Gauff overcame some tense opening exchanges to break Williams' formidable serve to move ahead 3-2 in the opening set, and despite seeing three match points come and ago, the 15-year-old held her nerve to secure an unlikely victory.

When asked about the teenager's future in the game, Venus was effusive, saying;

"I think the sky's the limit, it really is.

"She did everything well today. She put the ball in the court, which was much better than I did. She served well, moved well. It was a great match for her."

Gauff is the youngest player ever to qualify for the main draw at SW19.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka revealed she will stay away from the circuit after crashing out of the US Open on Saturday, September 4.

The defending champion, 23, served for her third round match against Leylah Fernandez, however fell short.

Osaka ultimately let the match slip as she lost 5-7, 7-6, 6-4.

The end result saw the tennis ace lose her cool, during which she threw her racket on the ground as well as shout in frustration.

Watch Naomi Osaka's emotional press conference here:

When asked why she threw her racket at her post-match press conference, Osaka said, per Sky News: "Yeah I’m really sorry about that.

"I’m not really sure why [I did it]. I felt like I was pretty [calm], I was telling myself to be calm, but I feel like maybe there was a boiling point.

"Normally I feel like I like challenges, but recently I feel very anxious when things don’t go my way and I feel like you can feel that."

Osaka revealed that her most recent match has made her realize she may benefit from another break from the sport.

Watch the highlights from the nail-biting match below:

"I feel for me recently... when I win I don’t feel happy," Osaka said in an emotional session with the media.

"I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal."

She added: "Basically I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match.

"But I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while."

Back in May, Osaka withdrew from the French Open after saying that interview with journalists after matches caused her stress.

She also missed Wimbledon in July. She returned to action at the Tokyo Olympics.

She kickstarted the discussion surrounding mental health, and how important it is to care for it. Other athletes have spoken out in defense of the tennis star, with Olympic champion Simone Biles taking a break during the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her own mental health.

Featured image credit: UPI / Alamy

Alexander Zverev has been handed a suspended eight-week ban for hitting the umpire's chair with his racket at last month's ATP 500 event in Acapulco, The Guardian reports.

The German world number three was expelled from the tournament following his actions at the Mexican Open after losing a doubles match alongside Marcelo Melo against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara on February 23.

Following a review, the ATP decided the 24-year-old had displayed "aggravated behavior", and he was issued an eight-week ban from any ATP-sanctioned event. Per CNN, he was also given a suspended fine of $25,000.

On Tuesday, March 8, the ATP released a statement on the matter, saying: "The review determined that Zverev committed Aggravated Behaviour under the Player Major Offense section of ATP Rules. As a result, Zverev has been issued an additional fine of 25,000 US dollars and a suspension for a period of eight weeks from any ATP-sanctioned event."

It continued: "However, the fine and suspension are withheld on the condition that, over a probation period ending 22 February 2023 [one year from the incident], the player does not incur a further Code Violation."

He had already been fined $40,000 and forfeited his prize money of over $30,000 dollars for his conduct.

As reported by the Guardian, Zverev had previously issued a public apology following his disqualification, saying his behavior was "unacceptable."

Zverev said: "It is difficult to put into words how much I regret my behavior during and after the doubles match yesterday. I have privately apologized to the chair umpire because my outburst towards him was wrong and unacceptable, and I am only disappointed in myself. It should not have happened and there is no excuse."

He went on to say: "I would also like to apologize to my fans, the tournament, and the sport that I love. As you know, I leave everything on the court. Yesterday, I left too much. I’m going to take the coming days to reflect - on my actions and how I can ensure that it will not happen again. I am sorry for letting you down."

Featured image credit: Belga News Agency / Alamy