There's a reason why Serena Williams has been rocking unique and stylish looks on the tennis court.
The 37-year-old tennis pro opened up about her ongoing struggle with deep vein thrombosis -- the life-threatening blood clots that she has been experiencing since giving birth to daughter Alexis -- during a press conference on Tuesday.
For her first round match -- and subsequent win -- against Germany's Tatjana Maria, Williams sported a green bodysuit, which she paired with compression fishnet stockings that helped with circulation and to avoid blood clots.
“Definitely still concerned,” Williams said on Tuesday, according to Reuters UK. “I have had some issues, and they’re not done. So it’s just something I just have to do for pretty much probably the rest of my career, we’ll see. But I’m always at the doctor."
“With DVT, it’s very scary. A lot of people have them. Especially for me, it’s incredibly frightening," she explained. "I lay on the side of precaution as opposed to not.”
Williams, who dubbed her bodysuit a "Serena-tard,” also expressed that it was “an incredibly strong, powerful statement for moms that are trying to get back and get fit."
Williams, however, has previously faced backlash over her uniform choices. In May of 2018, the Grand Slam champ wore a black bodysuit during the French Open. The French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli, did not approve of the curve-hugging one-piece and banned the ensemble, saying, "It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place."
The banning caused quite a controversy, with Williams replying, "It feels like this suit represents all the women that have been through a lot mentally, physically, with their body to come back and have confidence and to believe in themselves."
"Obviously, the grand slams have a right to do what they want to do, but I feel like if and when or if they know that some things are for health reasons then there’s no way that they wouldn’t be OK with it, so I think it'll be just fine," she added.
See more in the video below.
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