By ADAM ZAGORIA
Serena Williams says she’s “fine” with the French Open banning her skin-tight black catsuit but left open the door that she could wear it again in the future.
“I think that obviously the Grand Slams have a right to do what they want to do,” Williams said Saturday ahead of the start of the US Open on Monday. “I feel like if and when, or if they know that some things are for health reasons, then there’s no way that they wouldn’t be okay with it. So I think it’s fine.”
Asked if she would consider skipping the event in the future, Williams said it wouldn’t happen.
“The president of the French Federation, he’s been really amazing,” she said. “He’s been so easy to talk to. My whole team is basically French, so we have a wonderful relationship. I’m sure we would come to an understanding and everything will be okay. So it wouldn’t be a big deal. He’s a really great guy.”
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 this year 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.
Giudicelli’s comment’s led to a massive backlash on social media, with tennis legend Billie Jean King among those speaking out on Serena’s behalf.
The policing of women’s bodies must end. The “respect” that’s needed is for the exceptional talent @serenawilliams brings to the game. Criticizing what she wears to work is where the true disrespect lies. https://t.co/ioyP9VTCxM
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) August 25, 2018
On the left: Anne White 1985 (yes that’s really her name)
No one says a thing…
On the right: Serena Williams 2018
‘’I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far” and “[the catsuit] will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.’’ – FTF President Giudicell pic.twitter.com/8Cdu7Ts8Ve
— UnsilentMajority ? (@The_UnSilent_) August 25, 2018
Williams did not wear the catsuit at Wimbledon, where she lost in the final to Angelique Kerber, and instead wore compression tights “that keep everything going with my blood, make sure that I’m staying pretty healthy out there.”
The catsuit was designed to help Williams with circulation issues after she almost died from blood clots after giving birth to her daughter Olympia Alexis last September.
She said she doesn’t plan to wear the outfit at the US Open, either. She opens Monday night under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium against Magda Linette of Poland.
“Yeah, I’ve since found other methods,” she said. “When it comes to fashion, you don’t want to be a repeat offender. It will be a while before this even has to come up again.
As for whether she’ll celebrate her daughter’s birthday during the Open, that won’t happen, either.
“Olympia doesn’t celebrate birthdays,” she said. “We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses, so we don’t do that.”
The No. 17 seed at the Open, Serena faces a tough draw that could include her older sister Venus Williams in the third round and No. 1 seed Simona Halep in the fourth.
Serena is just 3-4 on outdoor hardcourts this year and hasn’t won a tournament since giving birth. Still, Las Vegas has installed her as the favorite to win the Open for the first time since 2014.
“I feel like I have to be nice to myself,” she said. “I feel like I have to just be happy, you know, continue to work hard. I’ve been working incredibly hard. I feel like it will for sure pay off eventually.”
(The AP contributed)
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