Photo Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images
French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli announced that Serena Williams’ all-black Nike catsuit over the weekend, and fans were pissed.
The French Open dress code has apparently been updated, and Giudicelli said Williams’ suit “will no longer be accepted.” His reasoning: “One must respect the game and the place.”
Williams said she felt like a superhero when wearing her one-piece, but the federation clearly didn’t feel the same.
Sports Illustrated calls the ban “unnecessary,” especially knowing that the tennis star addressed the meaning behind the suit: “form and function.”
“I’ve had a lot of problems with my blood clots, God I don’t know how many I’ve had in the past 12 months,” Williams recently stated. “I’ve been wearing pants in general a lot when I play so I can keep the blood circulation going.”
Social media users went into a frenzy and called the “ban” racist because no other player’s attire was forbidden.
Even Nike spoke out in Williams defense by posting a tweet about the super hero and her powers.
You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers. #justdoit pic.twitter.com/dDB6D9nzaD
— Nike (@Nike) August 25, 2018
But after 48 hours of non-stop pandemonium in defense of Williams, the superstar sat down in a pre-U.S. Open press conference and shared her thoughts on the situation.
“We [Giudicelli] already talked. We have a great relationship. We talked yesterday. Everything’s fine, guys.”
Watch her response below.