Venus Williams exited the US Open in good fashion on Tuesday, putting up a solid effort in her women's doubles quarter-final defeat after taking the headlines back once again for her style and substance on the court.
The 45-year-old made an age-defying return to tennis this year, becoming the oldest WTA singles match winner since 2004 in July, and her matches in the women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles made her appointment viewing across Flushing Meadows.
A breathless account of her on-court fashions followed, from Vogue to InStyle, more than a quarter-century after she and sister Serena changed tennis' fashion game, a testament to her enduring influence.
"For me what you wear is just a reflection of who you are and being able to express myself on the court," said Williams, who lost with Canadian partner Leylah Fernandez to Australian Open winners Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend 6-1 6-2 on Tuesday.
"It's a lot of fun when you wear something you feel good in."
She wore a pleated-and-collared, all-white kit for her singles first-round match, a nod to trailblazer Althea Gibson, that earned raves - as did her valiant display in the three-set defeat to 11th seed Karolina Muchova.
In the women's doubles, she wore a mesh-layered kit with an embellished trim and, later, a dress reportedly custom-designed from high-fashion brand Pucci.
Earlier this year, she brought the tennis and fashion worlds together when she became the first to wear Lacoste on the red carpet at the iconic Met Gala.
"It doesn't matter what that is, as long as you feel good in it. So I got to do that," said Williams. "If it was fashionable, thank you for that."
The headline-grabbing looks come as players say fashion is a necessary means to grow their sport.
"Fashion helps bring just casual fans to the sport, a new demographic," said 2023 champion Coco Gauff, who lost in the fourth round to four-times major winner Naomi Osaka.
The 21-year-old and longtime sponsor New Balance worked with high-fashion brand Miu Miu on specialty kits worn earlier this year in Rome, Berlin and Cincinnati, in another high-profile collaboration.
Gauff credited Serena Williams as among the players who moved tennis fashion forward.
"Now brands are having more than just one kit for their roster of athletes. When I was going to the US Open (to watch, as a child), it was kind of looking like a cheerleading squad, everybody in one kit," she said.
Osaka's glittery, purple Nike kit was a long time in the making, the four-time major winner said, with fittings "months and months" in advance of the tournament.
"It always makes me excited for what's coming up that people don't know about," said Osaka, who has accessorized her ensembles with a series of bejeweled Labubus on her racket bag.
"That just kind of makes me excited to obviously do well so I can have a good court to wear these outfits on."
