There's no doubt that Serena Williams is one of the best tennis players of all time, and if I were to list all her various achievements and accolades, it would take a whole article.
However, over the course of the last year, Serena's become famous for more than just her performance on the court. Instead, she's started making headlines for shouting at umpires and her unconventional sartorial choices.
The jury's still out on whether arguing with the umpire in her 2018 US Open match against Naomi Osaka was wise, but it's fair to say that her outfits have proven to be something of a talking point in the world of tennis.
The trouble first started when Serena, in May 2018, wore a skin-tight catsuit at the 2018 French Open, which many people compared to a superhero outfit. The catsuit was banned by French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli, who stated: "It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place." In protest of this, Serena wore a tutu while playing against Magda Linette.
Serena has always maintained that she wears the catsuit to prevent blood clots in her legs, and yet that hasn't stopped officials from coming down hard on her for her wardrobe choices.
However, this week Serena clapped back at her critics at the Grand Slam at the Australian Open, by wearing a green lycra romper suit with, wait for it, hexagonal fishnet tights! Wow; that's a pretty cool look.
Fans of Serena's were pretty shaken by the get-up and took to social media to voice their enthusiasm for the ensemble. One person wrote "love that @serenawilliams is just so extra with her outfits. The Green Leotard kinda Romper Mini Catsuit is giving me Power Ranger vibes," while another added "Forget the catsuit. Check out Serena Williams' new romper."
In a recent profile which appeared in Allure magazine, the player stated: "There weren’t a lot of role models for me to look up to [in the sport] and say, ‘Wow, I want to look like this!’... I kind of had to be that role and be that person. Venus and I started out being successful, continued to be successful, and we were also unapologetically ourselves. We were not afraid to wear braids. We weren’t afraid to be black in tennis. And that was different."
She added: "I think my mom instilled in us to be confident women, to really believe in ourselves, be proud of our heritage, our hair, and our bodies. That was something that was really important for her to teach us ... I’m feeling pretty good about my body. I worked hard at it in the past eight months to get back from the baby. It hasn’t been easy. I’m not 21 anymore. But I did it slow and steady."
Personally, I don't think we should have a go at the champ for adding a bit of flair to her tennis gear. Keep at it, Serena!