From the Great Wall of China to the banks of the River Seine, Lacoste is literally taking ‘Tennis to the Seaside’ with its latest collection. And after Novak Djokovic – the literal wall in tennis – played a few rallies on the Great Wall, sporting a number from Lacoste’s Spring Summer 2025 line, Venus Williams and Ayan Broomfield lit up Paris Fashion Week right across from Roland Garros.

But instead of gracing the red clay synonymous with the French Open, they watched models walk on a sand runway, which drove home the theme of creative director Pelagia Kolotouros’ sophomore collection.

After walking the runway during the Vogue World show at the Paris Fashion Week in June – where she sported a custom Marine Serre look made from repurposed tennis bags – Venus Williams sat on the sidelines this time. But she stunned fans just the same. The former World No.1 paid tribute to her tennis roots in June, and Lacoste followed suit now. So, as Frances Tiafoe’s girlfriend shared snippets from the show on Instagram, it showcased that tennis is not limited to just the courts; fashion is an integral part of the sport, too.

In her carousel, captioned, “oh Lacoste, you killed that 😩🐊,” Broomfield also included a picture with Williams. The American tennis star was in a knitted maxidress in a bright and bold shade of yellow, featuring a halter and plunging neckline. A gold necklace, yellow shoes, and a green tote bag that featured the company’s crocodile logo accompanied Williams’ attire. The outfit of Broomfield was equally stunning. 

Known for her affection for simple colors, the Canadian star and former D1 tennis player was in a white knitted off-shoulder number that had a green and golden border. The company’s logo adorned the simple yet elegant outfit, which was accompanied by a necklace and a pair of brown shades. Broomfield also carried a white handbag with her, which complemented her look immensely. 

Sharing pictures from Tuesday on her X handle, too, Broomfield wrote, “The Lacoste show was everything🐊🤍” And from the looks of it, it was. Per WWD, Kolotouros mentioned in a preview of the SS25 show that she took inspiration from founder René Lacoste’s debonair off-court style, “particularly 1920s snapshots of the founder and friends at the seaside.” 

The collection had quite a few tennis-themed touches, too – a lot of the outfits featuring the neon-yellow synonymous with tennis balls. Most models even carried bags that were shaped like a racket! And, well, if you remember the skin-flattering sandy beige number that Djokovic wore while playing on the Great Wall of China, that was part of the line as well. But let’s come back to Ayan Broomfield and Venus Williams.

When it comes to the American, she is known for attire that can amalgamate tennis styles and fashion together. In a conversation with Harper’s Bazaar, Williams said, “I like to be unique, and I also like to wear things that I feel confident in. I’ve always loved seeing people embracing tennis core and incorporating it into everyday style in their own unique way. Tennis has long been at the intersection of sports and fashion, and Lacoste was one of those pioneers who helped elevate sports-chic looks.”

As for Broomfield, she has tennis to credit for the career she has now as an influencer. “I have my foot in everything with tennis without being on court competing 24-7,” she told Forbes. After the pandemic derailed her journey to becoming a professional on the WTA Tour, she realized that not making it to the top wasn’t the end of the world. “Picking up this sport leads to so many opportunities. You can use it for so many adventures in your life, not just the 50 girls on the WTA tour making money. You can get a scholarship, you can model, you can do content creation.”

That said, did you know that Venus Williams and Ayan Broomfield’s friendship is not just limited to fashion and tennis?

Back when Venus Williams wanted a special favor from Ayan Broomfield

Venus Williams and Ayan Broomfield have often turned heads with their unique styles, but they are also known for some on-screen stints. One such moment was in the 2021 movie King Richard, which also featured Broomfield on the screen.

Broomfield acted as the body double for Saniyya Sidney, who played the role of Venus Williams in the movie. The seven-time singles Grand Slam champion hand-picked Broomfield to play the tennis scenes because, for Williams, the 27-year-old was the best fit for the role. This, in turn, sparked great respect from the Canadian star, who highlighted her dedication to the role. 

Speaking in an interview, Broomfield said, “That was probably one of the highlights of my tennis career. They were very in tune with what was going on, on the set and overlooked the script. I had to study a lot to make sure that I was as Venus-esque as possible because you want to do her justice, pay homage to what she did for the sport and for the Black community”

For now, it would be interesting to see if Williams and Broomfield share more such images and engage in more fashion-related activities off the court.