New Style Idea

Serena Williams hit the court of the 2021 French Open today in not-so-conventional tennis attire.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion played her first-round match against Romanian athlete Irina-Camelia Begu during the tournament in Paris. For the day, Williams prepped for movement in all-green Nike attire; the ensemble included a striped quarter-zip jacket and coordinating tennis skirt atop spandex shorts.

The real kicker of her look came with her highlighter green Nike tennis shoes. Up close, the sneakers featured a mix of custom decorations that paid tribute to everything from the Roland Garros stadium itself to her daughter Olympia Ohanian.

The designs also featured a sketch of the Eiffel Tower and a few tennis balls as well with two meaningful quotes across the supportive midsole. On the left foot, it read in English “Never Stop Fighting” with a similar message in French across the right heel — “Je ne m’arrêterai jamais.”

Fans of Williams style will recognize the quote from the Nike x Off-White for Serena Williams tennis collection that the athlete debuted at the 2019 French Open; T-shirts from the collab featured the French line across the back.

Williams has also been a Nike athlete since 2003 and has released a number of collaborative projects with the brand over the years. In 2019, the two powerhouses announced that they were looking for emerging designers to help create a Williams-inspired shoe and apparel collection for 2020.

In addition to her Nike partnership, the athlete also created her own namesake apparel and accessories brand in 2018 and has since debuted capsules during New York Fashion Week. In May of 2020, Williams officially signed on as the newest global spokeswoman for Stuart Weitzman, starring in the brand’s spring and summer ’20 ad campaign. She has since appeared in shoots for its fall ’20 collection and, most recently, its spring ’21 campaign with her daughter, Olympia.

Click through the gallery for more of the best French Open shoe style over the years.