By Ritesh Gupta
Venus Williams deserves the every bit of attention she gets from all the quarters. Be it for her exploits on the WTA Tour, her collection of seven Grand Slam singles titles or her tenure at the top, she deserves all the adulation for her achievements.
But what about being in the limelight for her on-court attire?
Venus seems to have mastered the art of being in headlines for her clothing.
Even considering the usual attention-seeking standards of women’s tennis, Venus seems to have broken all the records this year. Be it for coverage in both the offline and online world, Venus’ images and comments about her outfits have adorned publications for quite a while now.
Guessing what Venus is going to wear or waiting for the same everytime a major is about to commence has almost become a routine.
The fact that the publications have even started questioning what Venus is going to wear at Wimbledon, the major tournament with the strictest dress code, accentuates the same.
For Venus, the five-time Wimbledon women’s singles champion, her attire reflects her passion for designing.
To her credit, she completed a fashion degree while on tour, and has also launched her own clothing line called EleVen. She categorically says he has set sights on post-tennis career.
Venus always explains her designs and defends all the criticism with aplomb. She says she wants to herself, be it via her game or her clothing. Its a matter of individuality for Venus in whatever she does.
When the 30-year old wore the bright yellow dress and flesh-coloured underwear during the Australian Open in January this year, she reportedly said that the knickers showed her outfit to its best advantage. “My dress for the Australian Open has been one of my best designs ever! It’s all about the slits and V-neck. I am wearing undershorts the same colour as my skin, so it gives the slits in my dress the full effect,” reportedly said Venus.
After this, at the French Open, Venus wore a black long-sleeved shirt over her self-designed black-lace corset dress.
And now at Wimbledon, Venus’ attire has a lace overlay on the bodice and a skirt covered in fringe. She says she has been inspired by Tina Turner to create the “shimmy” dress with her clothing label EleVen. Seems slightly mundane going by Venus’ love for colours and cuts as a designer. Obviously, one can’t get too jazzy or glitzy considering the fact all the players have to comply with the traditions and the dress code stipulated for the only Grand Slam on grass.
The link between fashion and tennis is nothing new. And the bond between underwear and women’s tennis continues to get stronger. Some argue that when fashion and sports collide, the actual talent and the performance of players sometimes pales in comparison with all the buzz around the on-court attire.
Even Venus admitted last month when she said, “I can feel the attention around me.”
Still, irrespective of whatever she wears on court, it has to be remembered that Venus has featured eight times in the singles final at the same championship.
Her record at Wimbledon speaks volume about her achievements. Venus may or may not bag so many accolades for her attire in the time to come, but she will always be remembered for her exploits on the WTA Tour, more so at Wimbledon.
