Serena Williams hits back at catsuit criticism by playing tennis in this outrageous outfit

Serena Williams, the world’s greatest tennis player, has hit back at criticism of the black catsuit she chose to wear at the French Open.

The 36-year-old international tennis star from Michigan was compared to superhero Black Panther after she wore an all in one outfit with t-shirt sleeves.

The mother-of-one, who holds the top spot of any tennis player in the all time rankings and gave birth in September, was praised by sports brand Nike who wrote of the star: “You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers. #justdoit”

But it was later revealed that the French Open have banned similar looks.

French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said 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.”

This is despite the fact that new mother Serena wore the sportswear to aid her with problems with blood clots that occurred during her pregnancy.

During the tennis tournament she said: “I’ve had a lot of problems with my blood clots.

“God, I don’t know how many I’ve had in the past 12 months. I’ve been wearing pants in general a lot when I play, so I can keep the blood circulation going.”

Now Serena, who has won over £67 million in prize money during her record-breaking career, has hit back by wearing a show-stopping tutu on the court at the US Open.

Not only did she don the defiant look, but she went on to win in straight sets, beating Poland’s Magda Linette, 6-4, 6-0.

Twitter users were in awe of the sportswoman, and one wrote: “This is everything!!! You are an idol and a queen.”

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.

Speaking of the piece Abloh told The Cut: “So the dress is feminine, but combines her aggression.

“It’s partially revealing. It’s asymmetrical. It has a sort of ballerina-esque silhouette to symbolise her grace.

“It’s not about bells and whistles and tricks. It’s just about it living on the body, and expressing Serena’s spirit with each swing of the racket.”

Williams said: “When I teamed up with Virgil and he pulled out his tutu, I was like, this is the moment I’ve been waiting for.”

What is Serena Williams’ net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Williams is worth a staggering £140m ($180m). 

As of 2017, her on-court earnings were reported to be £66.17 ($85m).