Serena Williams’ 7 Best On-Court Outfits of All Time

Serena Williams spent more than two decades changing what women's tennis could look like.

And on Friday night, she gave the US Open one more fashion moment.

Williams returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium alongside older sister Venus Williams for their first Grand Slam doubles match together since 2022. The sisters coordinated in crisp white looks, while Serena made her entrance in a cropped black varsity-style jacket with her name across the back. They pushed No. 14 seeds Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan for more than three hours before falling in a deciding match tiebreak.

Seeing Serena back in New York also offered a reminder of just how much fashion she brought to the court throughout her career. She wore denim and knee-high boots at the US Open, turned a catsuit into one of the most discussed looks in sports and collaborated with Virgil Abloh long before high-fashion tennis partnerships became commonplace.

Picking only seven is difficult. These are the Serena Williams looks that still stand out.

7. 2026 US Open: The Comeback Look

Venus and Serena Williams | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Four years after her last US Open appearance, Williams returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium in a look that managed to reference her history without trying to recreate it.

She and Venus coordinated in white for their doubles match, with Serena wearing a white two-piece set with navy trim and a matching navy headband. For warmups, she added the detail that made the entrance: a cropped black letterman-style jacket bearing “Serena” across the back and what appeared to be the years of her US Open titles along the sleeves.

It was clean, personal and unmistakably Serena.

6. 2004 US Open: Denim and Knee-High Boots

Serena Williams at the 2004 US Open | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Serena was pushing the boundaries of tennis fashion long before the current wave of designer collaborations.

At the 2004 US Open, she walked onto the court in a studded black Nike top, pleated denim miniskirt and a pair of black knee-high sneaker boots. The boots came off before match play, but the image had already been made.

More than 20 years later, it still looks audacious. Few players could have sold knee-high boots as tennis gear. Serena somehow made them feel completely at home in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

5. 2021 Australian Open: The Flo-Jo Catsuit

One of Williams' best looks was also a tribute to another woman who changed the visual language of her sport.

For the 2021 Australian Open, Serena wore an asymmetrical Nike catsuit inspired by track legend Florence Griffith Joyner. The pink, red and black design featured one full-length leg and one short leg, echoing the one-legged racing suits that became part of Flo-Jo's unmistakable style.

“I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up,” Williams said at the tournament.

It was Serena honoring a trailblazer by doing what both women did so well: making performance and personal style impossible to separate.

4. 2018 French Open: The Black Catsuit

Few tennis outfits have generated as much conversation as this one.

Williams returned to Grand Slam competition at the 2018 French Open after giving birth to daughter Olympia in a sleek black Nike catsuit with a red waistband. The compression garment also had a practical purpose following Williams' history of dangerous blood clots.

The French Tennis Federation later introduced a stricter dress code that would prohibit similar looks. By then, the catsuit had already become part of Serena's fashion legacy.

It was bold, functional and instantly recognizable.

3. 2002 US Open: The Black Catsuit

Sixteen years before Paris, there was New York.

Williams wore a sleeveless black Puma catsuit during her championship run at the 2002 US Open, one of the defining outfits from the early years of her career. Against a sport still heavily associated with traditional tennis dresses and skirts, the streamlined look was impossible to ignore.

She ultimately won the title, defeating Venus in the final.

The outfit feels even more significant in hindsight. Serena wasn't simply developing a signature style. She was showing how dramatically the boundaries of tennis fashion could move.

2. 2018 US Open: Virgil Abloh’s Tutu

The collaboration between Williams, Nike and the late Virgil Abloh produced one of the most memorable tennis collections of the era.

At the 2018 US Open, Serena played in one-shouldered dresses paired with layered tulle tutus, including a lavender version that looked closer to ballet than conventional tennis wear.

The juxtaposition was exactly what made it work. The look was delicate and theatrical, while the player wearing it was one of the most powerful athletes tennis had ever seen.

Williams later told Vogue that the one-sleeved design remained among her favorite tennis looks.

1. 2022 US Open: Serena’s Final Singles Run

For what was expected to be the final tournament of her singles career, Williams did not go understated.

She collaborated with Nike on a black, figure-skater-inspired dress covered in crystals, complete with sheer sleeves and a six-layer skirt. The number of layers carried its own meaning, representing her six US Open singles championships.

The sparkle continued all the way to her hair and shoes, with crystals woven into her ponytail and diamond-encrusted NikeCourt sneakers featuring her initials in gold.

It was dramatic enough for the occasion without looking like a costume commemorating the past. Serena walked onto the court looking like Serena, just turned all the way up.

Four years later, she walked back into Arthur Ashe Stadium with Venus and added another chapter.

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