26 September 2021

Serena Williams turns 40: The tennis star’s greatest fashion moments, from centre court to the red carpet

26 September 2021

Not only is she the reigning queen of the tennis world, with 23 Grand Slam titles under her belt, Serena Williams is a fashion tour de force too.

Known for her fabulous and fearless style, she was the first black female athlete to appear on the cover of Vogue and founded her own clothing brand, Serena, in 2018.

The trailblazing athlete, who celebrates her 40th birthday on September 26, has served us some incredible fashion moments throughout her career, both on and off the court…

Centre Court style

(Alamy/PA)

Always pushing the sportswear envelope, Williams has worn many a fashion-forward outfit throughout her career – some of them more well-received than others.

When she donned a black catsuit for the French Open in 2018, the garment was later banned by French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli, who said it had gone “too far”.

(Alamy/PA)

Later that year, Williams took to the court at the US Open in a pair of tennis dresses with tutu skirts, created by Off-White designer Virgil Abloh.

(Adam Davy/PA) (PA Archive)

Even when forced to adhere to the strict all-white dress code at Wimbledon, the American manages to get creative with her ensembles, as she did with this sheer leopard-patterned dress in 2015.

Royal wedding

Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian arrive at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (Ian West/PA) (PA Archive)

Williams was pretty in pink while attending pal Meghan Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 with entrepreneur husband Alexis Ohanian, choosing a long-sleeved blush coloured dress by Atelier Versace teamed with court heels and a hat by Philip Treacy.

Changing into a second look for the reception at Frogmore House, Williams revealed on Twitter that she was actually wearing trainers underneath her Valentino gown, which had a black bodice and floral-covered full skirt.

Twinning with Olympia

“I’m Olympia’s mom,” Williams proudly declares in her Instagram bio, and she loves nothing more than twinning with daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr, aged 4, who has her own official account on the platform with 629k followers.

Earlier this year, mum and mini-me were photographed on the tennis court in frothy princess dresses, Alexis Olympia with a pink racket to match her outfit.

When Williams wore a tutu at the US Open, Off-White also created a tiny version of the outfit for toddler Alexis.

Met Gala

(Aurore Marechal/PA) (PA Archive)

A regular at the Met Gala, Williams always impresses with her red carpet choices.

In 2017, while pregnant, she was resplendent in an emerald green Versace gown.

(Jennifer Graylock/PA) (PA Archive)

Teaming up with Versace again in 2019, she wore a neon yellow gown with pink floral embellishments, lifting up the hem to reveal Nike trainers underneath.

For this year’s American-theme gala, Williams switched it up and went with a lace catsuit and incredible feathered cape designed by Gucci’s Alessandro Michele.

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