*The man who run the French Open have decided that Serena Williams‘ black catsuit will not we allowed back in 2019 at the Roland Garros tennis arena.
Now, Nike has responded.
“You can take the superhero out of her costume,” sportswear giant Nike responded via Twitter. “But you can never take away her superpowers.”
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
Yep, you guessed it, Williams has an apparel endorsement deal with Nike, who, by the way, outfitted her in the bodysuit.
Why did the French Open ban the catsuit?
OK, so why is the catsuit a big deal? Supposedly, it’s part of a stricter dress code introduced in advance of next year’s French Open – which is still nine months away. However, it’s unclear what, exactly, the compelling reason for introducing it is.
“I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far,” was French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli’s explanation – or attempt at an explanation.
Giudicelli, though, singled out Williams’ attire, perhaps suggesting that her suit was the impetus for the change. “It will no longer be accepted,” Giudicelli said. “One must respect the game and the place.”
OK, it’s head scratching time. We have to ask: Why would Williams’ suit be seen as disrespecting “the game and the place.” Besides, Serena says since she’s not a fashion repeat offender, you wouldn’t see her in that outfit again, anyway.
“When it comes to fashion, you don’t want to be a repeat offender,” Williams deadpanned.
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.@serenawilliams made light of the French Open banning her catsuit: pic.twitter.com/Ltyx7BUcWM
— ESPN (@espn) August 25, 2018
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Here’s MORE from Yahoo Sports:
In fact, if anything, the ban seems disrespectful to Williams, who donned the form-fitting bodysuit primarily for medical reasons.
The French Open was Serena’s first major tournament after giving birth to her daughter last summer. In the days after the birth, Williams needed blood thinners to treat clots in her lungs.
In May, after breaking out the catsuit for the first time, she told reporters:
“I had a lot of problems with my blood clots and, God, I don’t know how many I have had in the past 12 months. So it is definitely a little functionality to [the suit]. I have been wearing pants in general a lot when I play so I can keep the blood circulation going.”
But there was also a fashion element to Williams’ attire. You can get that part of the story and MORE at Yahoo Sports.
And then there’s this meme making the rounds on social media …
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