She’s the GOAT!
Serena Williams, tennis star and fashionista, wowed the crowd this weekend as she secured a win at the Australian Open while serving another flawless fashion moment. According to ESPN, on Feb. 8th, the first day of the tournament in Melbourne, Australia, the 39-year-old tennis icon beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1. She walked onto the court with an eye-catching color-block, asymmetric, one-legged catsuit, which was a nod to the late great Florence Griffith Joyner, who dominated in Track and Field in the late 80s.
“I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up,” she said later. “Well, watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing. This year we thought of what can we do to keep elevating the Serena Williams [look] on the court. The Nike team actually thought of this design of inspiration from FloJo. I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is so brilliant.’ She had such amazing style and iconic-ness.”
Griffith Joyner competed with the United States Olympic track and field team in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. She took home the gold medal in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4×100 m races at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, where she famously ran in one-legged catsuits. She was one of the fastest women of all time. At the Seoul Olympics that September, Griffith Joyner won gold in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 x 100 relay and set a 200-m world record of 21.34 sec, which still stands today.
In a 1988 interview with NBC, Griffith Joyner shared how she developed the look. “It was a two-legger, originally. I was in the mirror, and I cut off one leg, and I liked how it looked. So I took a pair of my briefs, and I put it over the top of the one leg. And I said, well, that looks good, I’ll try that.”
The internet couldn’t get enough of Serena’s outfit and the nod to one of the most iconic athletes of our time!
Serena Williams just casually unveiled a one-legged catsuit. pic.twitter.com/vLyPBnddQm
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) February 8, 2021
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mmmmhm. pushing Brady as the (American) GOAT as if Simone Biles, Serena Williams, Flo Jo, Floyd Mayweather, LeBron James, and a host of other African American GOAT contenders don’t exist. As if non-US athletes like Lionel Messi and Usain Bolt don’t exist. Tom Brady is local https://t.co/nsgSIcb90K
— Dr. Nneka D. Dennie ♀️ ✊ (@BlkGrlBrilliant) February 7, 2021
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Serena and this homage to Flo Jo.
advertisement— Johnbackwards (@johnbackwards) February 8, 2021
Its giving Icon. Its giving Flo Jo. Its giving Black History https://t.co/aZeJqwwFfS
advertisement— Serena’s Second Place Trophy ♑ (@annsthewoman) February 8, 2021
Let’s Go Serena!!! You got this!! Nice outfit! I’m feeling the Flo Jo vibes!! Yay! Love to see it!! #GOAT https://t.co/ej9Y2ojOhx
— Quen E (@prettyladyquen1) February 8, 2021
Flo Jo then.
Serena just now (at the Australian Open). pic.twitter.com/joKjb1QZW4— Martine St-Victor (@MartineMontreal) February 8, 2021
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I know that one game is on…
BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT SERENA AND HOW HER THANG IS THANGIN RIGHT NOW?!!! GOAT QUEEN
advertisementYES WITH THE FLO JO VIBES!!!!#AO2021 pic.twitter.com/7vtuLFeeEk
— Dr. Tunisha Singleton (@TSingletonSays) February 8, 2021
BLACK HISTORY 2021:
I wanted to be her. The power. The fashion. The flare. I even had a FloJo Barbie! Florence Griffith Joyner was the baddest thing on the track field.
She is the fastest woman of all time; her world records set in 1988 for the 100m and 200m still stand.#BHM pic.twitter.com/qYXSBnZb5b
advertisement— Tiffany D. Thomas (@TiffanyForAlief) February 5, 2021
Williams has consistently prevailed over her opponents throughout the years. She currently has 23 Grand Slam wins, which is more than any other female and male tennis player in the history of the Open Era. The last time she won the Australian Open was in 2017 at 8 weeks pregnant – she’s a force to be reckoned with among athletes!
We love to watch you work, Serena! Congratulations!
Photo Credit: Getty