Serena Williams continues to face controversy over her catsuit and now she’s found a most unlikely ally in the former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
TMZ reports that the controversy began when Williams was told by officials at the French Open that she could not wear the catsuit during the tournament. She wears the custom-made compression garment in place of the normal tennis attire because it promotes circulation and helps prevent blood clots, an ongoing health issue the tennis star has faced.
Ahmadinejad has taken note of the controversy and decided to tweet his support for Serena Williams.
“Why is the #FrenchOpen disrespecting @serenawilliams? Unfortunately some people in all Countries including my Country, haven’t realized the true meaning of freedom.”
Twitter is something Ahmadinejad says it’s important to make time for, according to Twitchy . It’s worth noting that the social media platform is not available in Iran, and it was Ahmadinejad himself that had Twitter banned to the public. However, political officials often use it as a way to get their message out to the rest of the world.
Serena Williams has maintained a good attitude throughout the ordeal, reassuring reporters over the weekend that it was okay.
Perhaps she said it was okay because she already had her outfit for the opening of the U.S. Open planned. CNN reports that Serena Williams stepped onto the court wearing a black and brown, one shoulder dress with a full, tulle skirt. She found a substitute compression device in fishnet stockings. The outfit was covered with a black bomber jacket before the match began.
Outfit aside, Williams had a solid start to the tournament. The 23-time grand slam singles champion defeated Magda Linette 6-4 6-0. It was the first time Serena Williams took to the court after becoming a mother for the first time and she quickly proved that she’s still a force to be reckoned with.
Her outfit drew some comments and a few raised eyebrows. Williams was happy to talk about it at the press conference after the match. “It’s easy to play in. Kind of aerodynamic with the one arm free. It feels really good. Yeah, the tutu is easy to play in because I practiced in it before. That was fun.”
So far there has not been any comment from the officials at the U.S. Open about the outfit she wore for Monday’s match.