It’s no question that Serena Williams has dramatically changed women’s sports. Her leadership on and off the court has led to more diversity and inclusion in tennis — with young Black stars such as Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka following in her footsteps. Her grit and tenacity allowed for a nearly 30-year professional tennis career, earning her the title of the G.O.A.T — or the greatest of all time.
From her denim mini skirt at the 2004 US Open to this year’s diamond encrusted sneakers, Williams also challenged the status quo when it came to her on-court fashion statements.
As the tennis star wraps up this incredible chapter in sport, Carly Ellis, Nike’s apparel design lead, reminisces about 10 unforgettable Nike looks worn by Williams through the years.
“There are no words that can summarize the pressure and responsibility that comes with designing a piece of history, for the greatest of all time,” Ellis told FN. “But every moment I have spent on Serena’s looks, even in times of pressure and problem solving, are a delight to be relished for the rest of my life.”
“Historic in itself, this was our first-ever Nike design with Serena and truly started her legacy in on-court fashion that changed the game of tennis. In a (then) world of boring, stale tennis dresses, Serena boldly opted for this silver corset. My favorite element of this is the bedazzled headband saying ‘Serena.'”
Here, Serena Williams defeats Eleni Daniilidou in the semifinals of the NASDAQ 100 Open on April 1, 2004 in Key Biscayne, Florida.
“We affectionately called this the ‘ultra sheer.’ This mostly transparent look wasn’t extra enough for Serena on its own, so in true queen fashion she paired with black, slick boots inspired by the shoe of the moment: the Nike Shox. This was also the debut of her official Serena logo, which you see here on her headband. ”
Here, Serena Williams defeats Tatiana Golovin in the third round of the women’s singles at the 2004 US Open in New York on Sept. 3.
“Why denim? A massive fan of the game herself and the legends that came before her, Serena liked what Nike had done with Andre Agassi and his iconic on-court denim looks in the ’80s. Talk about a shared love for disruptive tennis fashion. It’s almost as if she said, ‘You did denim shorts? I’ll one-up you with a micro denim skirt.’ No detail was left unturned in this look, with even her sweatbands featuring little studs. If you weren’t sure if Serena was here to change the game before, you were now.”
Here, Williams loses to Jennifer Capriati in the quarter finals of the women’s singles at the 2004 US Open in New York on Sept. 7.
“All I see when I see this look are these unforgettable knee-highs. They may seem like a fashion-centric statement, but in fact they were designed to solve a problem for Serena. In 2005 we were trying to protect Serena’s injury prone ankles and calves. She told reporters, ‘My legs take a little longer to warm up than the next opponent, so it’s perfect for me, they’ll keep me warm and then Ill be able to blast off.’ This is certainly not meant to overlook the iconic ‘bullet hole top’ that shook the tennis scene in 2005. Truly iconic.”
Here, Serena Williams warms up on Day 1 of the Australian Open prior to her match against Camille Pin of France on Jan. 17, 2005 in Melbourne, Australia.
“Nicknamed the ‘Energy Blazer,’ this piece most certainly gives Big Serena Energy. Serena has never quite fit into the outdated view of tennis, and Wimbledon was no exception. This was her take on the formality of Wimbledon tennis club, and a remark on Wimbledon being an event where women had not always been permitted to play. I know it meant a lot to her to pay homage to Althea Gibson, who was the first ever Black woman to play at Wimbledon in 1954.”
Here, Serena Williams walks out on court for the second round match against Caroline Garcia of France on day four of Wimbledon on June 27, 2013 in London.
“Let’s all take a moment to appreciate Serena in pink and red, which is personally my favorite color palette on her (which you also saw on her “S Suit” at the Aus Open in 2021). Animal print just happens to be Serena’s all-time favorite, and the simplicity of this dress lets the print, color, and most of all, Serena, shine. Shine she did, and in fact she dominated – taking the win and not dropping a set the entire tournament. All hail, our Leopardess-Empress.”
Here, Serena Williams celebrates after defeating Ekaterina Makarova of Russia during their women’s singles semifinal match on Day 12 of the 2014 US Open on Sept. 5, 2014 in New York.
“Simple silhouettes, but the Serena of it all makes it stand out. The explosive yellow beams of the blue Australian courts.”
Here, Serena Williams reacts in her Women’s Singles Final match against Angelique Kerber of Germany during day 13 of the 2016 Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia.
“The look that changed the rules. The suit was designed to be all black, for a warrior on clay. But when Serena saw our prototype come in with the red band, she loved it. And we kept it. This was another example of us working to serve and solve her needs. When Roland Garros banned this infamous innovation, the WTA updated their rule book — literally. A rule was written to allow compressive bodywear, a win for female players who, like Serena, had just come back from maternity leave. Or in Serena’s case, recovering from a difficult birthing experience. Yet another example of Serena changing the game for all women.”
Here, Serena Williams celebrates victory during the third round match against Julia Georges of Germany during day seven of the 2018 French Open at Roland Garros on June 2 in Paris.
“This look was designed by the late and great Virgil Abloh, who was inspired by Serena’s love of ballet and dance. His iconic design showcases her incredible grace, strength, flexibility of movement on court, voluminous layers and layers of Italian tulle flowing around Serena and her every move. It was mesmerizing for anyone watching at-home or in Arthur Ashe.”
Here, Serena Williams reacts during her Women’s Singles finals match against Naomi Osaka of Japan at the US Open on Sept. 8, 2018, in New York.
“For the first time, Serena prepared a brief for me, as well as sketches. She loves the grace, strength and sheer skill of ice dancers, and was really inspired by the embellishments their costumes are known for. So, we worked into several different designs, combining her ideas, experimenting and ideating. I knew this had to be perfect. Once we had her dress dialed, we of course wanted to build in some surprises for the Queen to help it rise to the occasion. I will never forget watching her walk out onto center court, with the world watching, in that crystal emblazoned train and bedazzled jacket. She went on to win in straight sets. How fitting she should end her tennis career with sparkles, just as she started. It is only right our Queen should drip in diamonds head to toe. No matter what Serena wore for her last-ever tournament, she would make it iconic. And the moment itself would be historic. I like to think maybe the sparkles gave her some extra magic.”
Here, Serena Williams defeats Danka Kovinic of Montenegro during the Women’s Singles First Round on Day One of the 2022 US Open on Aug. 29 in New York.
