The 2018 French Open means a lot to Serena Williams and more than that. It was the American’s first Grand Slam appearance as a mother and her first return to the Paris Grand Slam since the 2017 Australian Open.
Williams, who competed in the Melbourne Grand Slam while pregnant with her first daughter Olympia, took a break from the tour after comfortably winning the Australian title – her last and 23rd Grand Slam trophy. maternity leave.
However, getting pregnant was not an easy task for the former world number one. Williams had to undergo an emergency caesarean section and then suffered a life-threatening pulmonary embolism that nearly took her life.
“They were trying to talk to me and all I could think was, ‘I’m dying, I’m dying. Oh my God,'” Williams recalled of the incident.
Initially, although Williams insisted she was at risk for blood clots, doctors were reluctant to order the necessary tests, something she had been warned about in the past. Fortunately, medical professionals agreed and tests revealed she needed immediate surgery.
“For me, being heard and treated appropriately was the difference between life and death,” Williams recalled. “Black women in the United States are nearly three times more likely than white women to die during or after childbirth. Experts believe many of these deaths are preventable.”
So at Roland Garros, Serena Williams wore a black “leotard” – a full-length leotard that included pants instead of a traditional tennis skirt. The suit is more practical than form, as Americans need to maintain circulation in their legs to prevent the risk of more blood clots.
“I’ve had a lot of issues with blood clots, gosh, I don’t know how many issues I’ve had in the last 12 months,” Williams told a news conference. “I usually wear pants when I play to keep my circulation going. .
Unfortunately, the French Tennis Federation was not interested in the unusual jersey worn by the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Chairman Bernard Giudicelli criticized this, saying it was disrespectful to the game and the championship.
In fact, Giudicelli warned that Roland Garros would introduce a dress code similar to Wimbledon to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future.
“I think sometimes we go too far,” Giudicelli said, according to the Associated Press. “It will no longer be accepted. People have to respect the sport and this place.”
While the leotard itself was banned and no other player has since worn anything similar on the tennis court, the FFT did not implement such a dress code after receiving backlash for comments directed at Williams.
‘They’re not happy about it, but they understand’ – Serena Williams on Roland Garros jumpsuit
Years later, Serena Williams recalled the waves her French Open one-piece caused, joking about how people were “going crazy for it” and she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
The former world number one also clarified that when she explained to Roland Garros authorities that she needed it for health reasons, they were not entirely happy but at least understood.
“It was really cool, I was wearing this jumpsuit and people were mad about it. I couldn’t believe it. They were saying ‘you shouldn’t be wearing that’, well not people, Roland Garros was a little bit upset about it and I Thought ‘Why not?’ said Serena Williams.
“I told them ‘No, no, no, you don’t understand. It’s for my health and I need to wear it, and when I said that, they understood. They weren’t too happy about it, but they understood,’ she added.
Serena Williams reached the fourth round at the 2018 French Open as an unseeded player, but withdrew from her match against Maria Sharapova due to injury.