Serena Williams’ French Open Outfit Contains a Hidden Message

It's not just Serena Williams' incredible tennis skills that draw her fans—the GOAT tennis star also has an eye for style, appearing during tournaments in some seriously showstopping outfits. Notably there was the time at the French Open last year when she caused a controversy over her specially designed Nike catsuit. It was her first time back on the Grand Slam circuit since giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia, and the outfit was designed to help prevent blood clots (she has a history of them and was at risk from being postpartum). The French Open didn't love the look, and Bernard Giudicelli, the president of the French Tennis Federation, announced a new dress code a few weeks later that would prohibit similar looks (the Women's Tennis Association in the U.S., for its part, gave the outfit a green light). Now, Williams has returned to the French Open on Sunday (May 27), day two of this year's tournament, wearing another statement look for her match—and while it's not a catsuit, it does contain a hidden message that asserts her worth on and off the court.

Here it is from the front:

With the cape on the long-sleeve top in action:

And during a quick break in play:

If you haven't spotted the hidden message yet, you can find it literally on the fabric: Printed in black on the material's white stripes are the French words for "champion," "queen," "mother," and "goddess."

The outfit is a collaboration between Nike and Off-White's Virgil Abloh, and it's made up of a longline crop top, cape-jacket, and skirt. According to Nike, the performance seersucker material used in the outfit was developed specifically for Serena, and it's nicknamed "Ever." For context, the sea-green catsuit she wore in Melbourne in January for the Australian Open was called "Greatest."

"I love when fashion becomes a vehicle for sharing a powerful message. With Nike and Virgil, we've created pieces that aim to inspire a new generation of athletes everywhere," Williams said in a statement about her latest outfit.

She definitely sent a (super-powerful) message—and the outfit seems to have worked well for her on the court: Williams wound up defeating Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, marking the 800th tour-level win of her career.

Originally Appeared on Glamour