Australan Open tennis: The story behind Serena Williams' one-legged catsuit

Serena Williams. Photo / Getty

Serena Williams took just 56 minutes to dispose of Laura Siegemund in Melbourne on Monday, but the debate made by her choice of outfit will last considerably longer.

The 23-time major winner debuted a long-sleeved, one-legged colourful catsuit inspired by sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner in her 6-1, 6-1 victory.

Joyner remains the fastest woman in history and won three golds at the 1988 Olympics, although the end of her career was clouded by allegations - never proved - of doping.

Her status as a track icon was abetted by her attention-grabbing catsuits and nail art and that legacy appears to have been embraced by Williams. "I was inspired by FloJo, who was a wonderful track athlete when I was growing up," she said. "Watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing. This year we thought of what can we do to keep elevating Serena Williams on the court.

"The Nike team actually thought of this design of inspiration from FloJo. I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is so brilliant.' That's where we started. Obviously we made some changes and tweaks to it. It became this."

Florence Griffith-Joyner runs down the track during the Olympic trials. Photo / Getty

As her quest for a record 24 grand slam titles continues, Williams's penchant for creative on-court outfits remains. Over her three-decade career she has pushed the dress code beyond the traditional in tennis, a cape and tutu just two examples of her more recent sartorial choices, but they are not all style over substance.

She has previously opted for leggings and long sleeves because of her susceptibility to blood clots. The health issue left her close to death on two occasions - most recently causing complications during the birth of her first child Alexis Olympia Ohanian in 2017 - and compression tights, leggings or sleeves have been included in Williams's outfits to aid blood flow.

The adaptation has attracted controversy in the past however, particularly at the French Open, when Williams made her 2018 post-partum return to grand slam tennis. Her black unitard drew widespread attention and "superhero" comparisons, but it prompted French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli to implement a ban on the outfit, saying: "One must respect the game and the place."

Giudicelli's comments saw huge backlash as Williams defended the practical elements to her style decision, and the WTA supported her choice by adding leggings to their dress code rules for 2019.

The 39-year-old will face world No 99 Nina Stojanovic in the second round on Wednesday, aiming for her eighth Australian Open title and first in Melbourne since 2017.