FILE – In this May 29, 2018 file photo, Serena Williams of the U.S. returns a shot against Krystyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Serena Williams will no longer be allowed to wear her sleek, figure-hugging catsuit at the French Open. The French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli, says the tournament that Williams has won three times is introducing a dress code to regulate players’ uniforms because “I think that sometimes, we’ve gone too far.” (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
PARIS — Serena Williams will no longer be allowed to wear her skin-tight black catsuit at the French Open.
The French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli, says the tournament that Williams has won three times is introducing a dress code to regulate players’ uniforms because “I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far.”
In an interview in Tennis Magazine’s 500th edition, Giudicelli singled out the figure-hugging black suit that Williams wore this year at Roland Garros and said made her feel like a superhero.
Giudicelli said: “It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.”
He said Roland Garros’ new rules won’t be as strict as Wimbledon’s, which require that players wear white, but will “impose certain limits.”
Many player uniforms for 2019 have already been designed but Giudicelli said the FFT will be asking manufacturers for an advance look at them.