The tennis champ defeated Laura Siegemund 6-1/6-1 in her first match at the 2021 Australian open. She also wore an eye-catching catsuit. The star has previously been called up for her fashion on the court.
Twitter was ablaze with responses to the outfit. One tweeted: “Serena Williams just casually unveiled a one-legged catsuit.”
High praise came from the player, with one claiming the star as “revolutionised” tennis court fashion.
“Awsome. Serena and Venus revolutionised fashion on tennis court and fearless and fierce. I love it.”
Another said: “Stunning! Serena always comes out with something unexpected and this outfit is UNIQUE! Be weird be special.”
“Boy, only she could ever carry this off! Way to go Serena. Absolutely fabulous. And have a brilliant tournament,” another wrote.
But not everyone agreed: “This is awful it looks horrible on her. I like Serena but in general, her sartorial taste is the opposite of her tennis skills.”
The catsuit has been likened to one worn by track star Florence Griffith Joyner – known as Flo-Jo.
Florence was a childhood hero of Serena’s and still holds records in the sport.
The tutu is part of Nike’s new Queen collection and was designed by Virgil Abloh who is the director of Louis Vuitton menswear.
Serena and the artist collaborated on the designs.
French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said at the time in a Tennis Magazine interview: “I think we sometimes went too far.
“The combination of Serena this year, for example, it will no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place.”