French Open women’s wrap: Serena Williams wows in Black Panther-inspired catsuit
A MARVEL on the tennis court, new mum Serena Williams is now sporting her own superhero outfit during her successful return to grand slam tennis.
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SERENA Williams admitted her eye-catching, figure-hugging black catsuit she sported on her Roland Garros return on Tuesday was inspired by the smash hit Black Panther movie but was also intended to help women with post-natal complications.
Williams defeated Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to register her first victory at the majors since her 2017 Australian Open triumph.
Bur as well as her performance, the 36-year-old’s black outfit was making headlines with the American insisting it was “fun as well as functional” in a nod to the severe health problems she suffered after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September.
Pretty cool hearing how excited players are to have Serena back, even on the men's side.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 29, 2018
"I heard she was wearing something pretty cool, too," said Sam Querrey.#RG18
“I call it like my Wakanda-inspired cat suit. It’s really fun,” she said in reference to the fictional African nation which features in the Marvel comics and was the centrepiece of the Black Panther movie blockbuster.
“I feel like a warrior princess. I always wanted to be a super hero.” But having revealed that she suffered from blood clotting, which required lifesaving surgery after her daughter’s birth, she says the suit should not be dismissed as just another fashion gimic.
“God, I don’t know how many blood clots I have had in the past 12 months. So the suit has definitely a little functionality to it.
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“I have been wearing pants in general a lot when I play so I can keep, you know, the blood circulation going. It’s a fun suit, but it’s also functional so I can be able to play without any problems.” Williams, bidding to go level with Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 majors, was watched on Court Philippe Chatrier by husband Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit founder.
But Olympia was not present, leaving Serena to admit that the urge to get home to see her daughter was giving her a fresh perspective on a career which has spanned three decades.
Being a tennis-playing mother is also radically different from being a tennis-playing dad on the tour.
“Well, first and foremost, you have to get your core back, which is hard, because it literally spreads when you have a baby.
“That’s difficult. And just coming back from the physical impact of having a baby, at my age is never easy.
“I actually breast fed for a really, really, really long time, and so I just had this real connection with my daughter.” “But I’m a super hands-on mom. Maybe too much!” Williams, the 2002, 2013 and 2015 champion in Paris, was on Tuesday playing a claycourt match for the first time since she finished runner-up to Garbine Muguruza in the 2016 final in Paris.
“I missed Roland Garros so much, I missed the battle.
“I couldn’t play last year. It’s been two years since I played here. It wasn’t easy but I have been training really hard. I feel good and just so happy to be back here.” Williams had arrived at Roland Garros with just four matches under her belt in 2018.
The last time she had been spotted on a court was in a first-round loss to Naomi Osaka in Miami in March.
Whatever happens over the next two weeks, Williams insists her family priorities have eased the expectations on her as a player.
“I have given tennis so much, and tennis has actually given me a lot, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
“But she’s my priority, and I work everything around her. I really try to put her first in my life.”
MUGURUZA WINS BATTLE OF FORMER CHAMPIONS
Garbine Muguruza was facing a tricky opening round against Svetlana Kuznetsova at the French Open but her victory in the battle of champions gave the Spaniard an extra boost of confidence.
The third seed Muguruza, who lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in 2016, prevailed 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 in a rain-disrupted match against the 2009 champion, a clay-court expert very few would like to take on so early in the tournament. Although she has been struggling to return to top form after undergoing wrist surgery last year, world No.43 Kuznetsova remains a formidable opponent. Muguruza stayed focused throughout, however, and her power, speed and poise made the difference.
“It is, so to speak, (a) second-week match,” Muguruza told a news conference. “But this is going to reinforce me. It was a very good first round, and the fact that I won, although it was a very difficult match, it was a match against an expert. The last matches I have played, the results were difficult. “And I think that I feel very encouraged by this kind of a match.” Muguruza next faces French wildcard Fiona Ferro with a third-round showdown against Samantha Stosur on the cards.
MUMMA MIA, MARIA!
Former world No.1 Maria Sharapova ended up spending more time than she would have wanted defeating Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp 6-1 4-6 6-3 but the only thing that mattered was that she was into round two.
“I really dug deep but sometimes you need to go through these types of matches where things don’t go the way you want,” Sharapova said. “Happy the way I came back in the third set.
“I’m so fortunate to be back in this position, I formed so many great memories here.” Sharapova, seeded 28th, missed the 2016 tournament while serving a doping ban and failed in her bid to secure a wildcard entry into last year’s event. World No.7 Caroline Garcia produced a stellar display to beat China’s Duan Yingying 6-1 6-0 in 58 minutes. Garcia became the fourth Frenchwoman into this year’s second round.
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German 11th and 12th seeds Julia Gorges and Angelique Kerber both advanced with wins over Dominika Cibulkova and Mona Barthel respectively. Kiki Bertens, the 18th seed from the Netherlands, went through in straight sets over Aryna Sabalenka.
World No.1 Simona Halep was again forced to wait to continue her quest for a maiden grand slam when her match against Alison Riske was postponed until Wednesday due to the scheduling backlog.
No. 1 seed Simona Halep starts her campaign against 83rd-ranked Alison Riske of the United States, in a weather-delayed first-round match postponed from Tuesday. Their game will be the first of five matches scheduled on the Philippe- Chatrier showcourt.
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