The 'Black Panther'-style catsuit that made Serena Williams feel like a 'warrior princess' has reportedly been banned from future French Open tournaments
- Serena Williams' famous "Black Panther"-style catsuit has reportedly been banned from the French Open.
- Williams wore the outfit as it was specifically designed to help prevent blood clots, but it also made her feel like a "warrior princess" from Wakanda, the fictional nation from the Marvel Comics film.
- The president of the French Tennis Federation is reportedly unimpressed, though.
- Bernard Guidicelli is quoted as saying the outfit will no longer be accepted because "you have to respect the game and the place."
- Catsuit or no catsuit, Williams is next in action at the US Open next week.
Serena Williams has been told she won't able to wear her "Wakanda-inspired" catsuit at future French Open tournaments.
Williams wore the eye-catching outfit at Roland-Garros in May as she made her first Grand Slam appearance since returning to tennis after giving birth to her daughter last year.
The Guardian said that the catsuit's main purpose was to help prevent blood clots. But it also had the advantage of making Williams feel "like a warrior princess" from "Black Panther," the smash hit Marvel Comics film released in February 2018.
Williams has not worn the outfit since, and it appears that she will never have the opportunity to wear it at the French Open again.
Speaking to France's Tennis Magazine, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Guidicelli reportedly implied that her outfit did not respect the game or the competition.
In a quote tweeted by New York Times sports journalist Christopher Clarey, Guidicello said: "We are going to ask the manufacturers to let us know what is coming. I believe we have sometimes gone too far.
"Serena's outfit this year, for example, would no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place."
Here's another look at the offending outfit:
Williams had the outfit designed before the "Black Panther" film was released, but said that it still reminded her of the Marvel epic, according to The Guardian.
She added at the time: "I'm always living in a fantasy world. I always wanted to be a superhero and it's kind of my way of being a superhero."
Catsuit or no catsuit, Williams is next in action at the 2018 US Open which is scheduled to take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on August 27.