"Didn't know it would cause such a stir" - Serena Williams on infamous French Open 2018 catsuit controversy
Serena Williams has said that she was not aware that her catsuit at the 2018 French Open would cause controversy.
Williams started her 2018 French Open campaign against Kristyna Pliskova, Karolina Pliskova's twin sister. It was her first appearance at a Grand Slam after becoming a mother to daughter Olympia in September the year before.
While the 23-time Grand Slam winner defeated Pliskova in straight sets, it was the outfit she wore on the Philippe-Chatrier that raised eyebrows. The three-time French Open winner wore a midnight-black bodysuit, which featured a red waistband. Furthermore, she made a slick bun out of her braided hair.
Ahead of the match, Serena Williams told the press that she felt that the catsuit made her feel like a warrior and a superhero.
"I feel like a warrior in it, a warrior princess ... from Wakanda, maybe. I've always wanted to be a superhero, and it's kind of my way of being a superhero," Williams said.
However, despite Williams' take on the outfit, it was deemed disrespectful to the French Open and was subsequently banned, which caused a huge uproar in the world of tennis and beyond.
Recently, in an interview with CNN, Serena Williams looked back on the controversial outfit. According to the 23-time Grand Slam winner, she was only trying to be herself after becoming a mother and had little idea of the hue and cry that the catsuit would cause.
"I didn’t know it would have such an impact. Here I am, just trying to be healthy, I was a new mom and just trying to be me. It was a great moment. I didn’t know it would cause such a stir," Williams said.
Bernard Giudicelli, the French Tennis Federation President, lambasted Williams' choice to don the outfit during a 2018 interview with France's Tennis Magazine. This marked the start of the controversy, with many around the world feeling that Williams was being targeted for the color of her skin.
"The combination of Serena this year, for example, it will no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place," Giudicelli said.
Serena Williams recently laid bare Olympia's surprise at hearing of her mother's 2017 Australian Open triumph
When Williams won the 2017 Australian Open against sister Venus, she was around eight weeks into her pregnancy with Olympia. In another recent interview with People, Williams said that Olympia was surprised to know that she was in her mother's belly at the time.
"I told her the other day that she actually was in my belly when I won a big tournament [the 2017 Australian Open] and she was surprised. She's at an age now where I can kind of open up to her a little bit more," Williams said.
The 2017 Australian Open was the only Major that Williams could play for that year. It also turned out to be her last success on the Grand Slam stage. Williams went on to reach four more Grand Slam finals (2018 and 2019 Wimbledon Championships, and 2018 and 2019 US Open) but lost them all.