Upping Her Game Entering the Tennis Courts in Off_White

Tennis is becoming somewhat a runway of its own. 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is preparing to enter U.S. Open in designs by Virgil Abloh for Nike. Tennis star posted on Instagram a photograph of herself wearing Logo shirt and signing “QUEEN” @off____white

“QUEEN” @off____white

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on

“When I was thinking about outfits for Serena, I was thinking about her playing the game and her aesthetic while she is. Also about the confidence that’s needed while playing at the top level of tennis,” Abloh told Vogue

“This is very far from a design-by-numbers project. As you can tell by her personality in her play, she’s very much involved in her aesthetic. She has a level of creativity with how she expresses herself in terms of clothing in any event, so I made everything with her logic in mind. We traded images and there was a lot of back-and-forth to get this done in short order.”

“When I first tried on the dress, I felt very strong and feminine at the same time. It has all the really strong elements, from the leather to that really cool stretchy material,” said Williams. “I felt so feminine in the tutu, which is probably my favorite part of it. It really embodies what I always say: that you can be strong and beautiful at the same time.”