Nearly all of the top seeded players took the courts yesterday at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. What should have been viewed as display of premium athletic ability was slightly overshadowed though. The object that is responsible for creating such a shadow is fashion. More specifically, the fashion of Serena Williams, who also, despite not being ranked #1 at the moment, is the most dominant force in women’s tennis.
It seems that with each series of Major events, Serena steps it up a notch in regards to her outfits. The black cat suit was always my favorite, but this year, she busted out a pair of boots that converted to sneakers, with a denim miniskirt and belly shirt. She looked like she could have been headed out to a club as opposed to the tennis court, but no matter, she won easily in straight sets. Not that anyone was really paying attention to how she played. How could you?
Serena Williams is one of the more intriguing celebrities out there. I hesitate at calling her just an athlete, because between her fashion line and cameo’s in entertainment shows, she is clearly positioning herself to make the leap to full-fledged entertainer. The idea of an athlete using their fame to spring board to new career is nothing new. The highway is littered with former athletes who gave the acting game a shot, with usually dismal results. But never before, has an athlete deemed to be the best at what she does, tried to do it. Yes, Michael Jordan was in Space Jam, but that was more like an extended commercial than anything else. Additionally, Jordan was a huge endorser for a bevy of products, but all of them were mainstream middle of the road. Serena takes more chances. Her outfits are proof of that as they show off what can only be described as a mesmerizing body.
Mesmerizing is the correct term in that Serena’s overall physique sparks different reactions from different people. There are times when you see her and realize how beautiful she is, and how sexy and curvaceous, yet there are other times where she looks down right terrifying and that she might beat the living hell out of you. It really depends on the day of the week. This plays into her favor in the world of tennis.
Tennis, more so than any other sport is a world that opens it’s arms to the pretty people, and if they happen to be talented, even better. Anna Kournikova is the most obvious example, but she is old news. There is now Anna 2.0, by the name of Maria Sharapova, who won Wimbledon recently, but still would’ve been famous due to her stunning good looks and Bond-Girl qualities. Serena and Maria are now the two most popular women on the tour, with Venus right behind them, but none of them are ranked #1. That honor goes to Justin Henin-Hardine of Belgium, she herself no beast, but her victories on the court don’t get the press the photo shoots of Maria and Serena get.
The same goes for the men’s game. Although, by chance and some good fortune, their two best looking players also happen to ranked #1 and #2 in the world, being Roger Federer and Andy Roddick in that order. But they suffer from their sex, because how revealing can a men’s tennis outfit be? Not like he’s going to wear bikini briefs and a tank top out there you know? Plus, the female desire to see a naked Andy Roddick pales in comparison to red-blooded males and their fantasies of having a little side match with Maria Sharapova.
Lost amid all the frenzy over Serena’s outfit was that all of the top seeds advanced, Andre Aggasi hinted that this maybe his last U.S Open, perennial U.S stalwart Todd Martin is retiring after what seems like 30 years in the game, and that despite the flowery name of Flushing Meadows, the site where the U.S Open is held is one of the uglier parts of the entire five-boroughs. But I guess that’s why people appreciate the fashion of Serena so much. Someone has to do something to brighten up the scenery.
