Serena Williams Paid Tribute to Flo-Jo by Wearing a One-Legged Catsuit


What Super Bowl? As far as I’m concerned, the only sporting event that took place on February 7 was the 2021 Australian Open, and the only GOAT we need to talk about is Serena Williams.

The tennis player with 23 Grand Slams under her belt won her first match against Laura Siegemund (ending both sets 6-1)—and she did it all in a one-legged pink, red, and black catsuit. If that’s not epic enough for ya, the look was actually a touching tribute to another star athlete. 

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“I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up,” Williams said in a postmatch interview. “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 on the court? The Nike team actually thought of this design of inspiration from Flo-Jo. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is so brilliant.’”

In case you don’t know, Florence Griffith Joyner (or Flo-Jo) is an American track star who set the world record in 1988 for both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Though she died in 1998, Joyner remains the fastest woman of all time. 

She was also known for her vibrant fashion sense on and off the field—which included multiple one-legged track looks. 

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Serena also honored another legendary athlete during her press junket: Venus Williams. “She’s such an inspiration,” Serena said of her sister, who also won her first match on February 7 against Kirsten Flipkens. “She never gets frustrated about her situation healthwise and she’s always looking on the bright side.”

“She works so hard—she’s been great,” the tennis star continued. “We were hitting partners for the first two and a half weeks here in Australia. It was so good to train with her every day and also very inspiring because she still pushes me on a level that no one’s able to push me.”

Tune in to Tennis Channel to catch the Australian Open starting February 8th through the 21st. 



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