Throwback to when Serena Williams paid tribute to the fastest woman of all time at the Australian Open
Serena Williams might not be present at this year's Australian Open, but her fashion statement at last year's tournament is still fresh in the minds of tennis fans.
Williams sported a one-legged catsuit in shades of pink and black as she stepped out to face Laura Siegemund in her first-round match. After thumping the German 6-1, 6-1, the American acknowledged that she was paying tribute to Florence Griffith-Joyner, the fastest woman of all time, with her outfit.
The outfit, designed by Nike, was a unitard with one full-length and one half-length leg sleeve. It resembled Joyner's famous pink unitard, which she popularized in the late '80s during the peak of her powers.
Below is Serena William's tribute act to the legendary athlete:
Serena Williams just casually unveiled a one-legged catsuit. https://t.co/vLyPBnddQm
The tweet below shows Florence Griffith-Joyner's version of the outfit.
Happy Birthday to the legendary Florence Griffith Joyner. She would’ve turned 62 today. 💕 https://t.co/J2ibkmFZy3
"I was inspired by FloJo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up" - Serena Williams on Australian Open 2020 outfit
During her press conference after beating Laura Siegemund, Serena Williams was asked to elaborate on her dazzling outfit.
Williams pointed out how Griffith-Joyner was an inspiration to her in her formative years. She felt the three-time Olympic gold medalist had an immaculate sense of fashion, which is what prompted her to use Griffith-Joyner's ideas to elevate her own appearance.
"Yeah, I was inspired by FloJo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up," Serena Williams said. "Well, watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing. This year we thought of what can we do to keep elevating the Serena Williams on the court."
Williams revealed that Nike came up with the overall idea and that she was on board with their suggestion.
"The Nike team actually thought of this design of inspiration from FloJo," Williams added. "I was like, Oh, my God, this is so brilliant. That's where we started. Obviously we made some changes and tweaks to it. It became this."
The 23-time Major champion was not even 10 years old when Griffith-Joyner was at her peak. The American athlete wrote her name in the history books by clinching three golds at the 1988 Seoul Games. Griffith-Joyner won the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m disciplines.
A few months before the Games, the American sprinter set a world record in the 100m discipline, finishing her race in Indianapolis in a mere 10.49 seconds - a record that's withstood the test of time.
She passed away from an epileptic seizure in 1998 at the age of 38.