Serena Williams and the ‘Swoosh’ have an unmatched legacy! The story of the world’s most iconic tennis player and the world’s most recognizable sports brand, Nike is quite unique. Their journey started at the end of 2003, when her partnership with Puma came to an end. There was a fight for her signature among all sporting giants and Nike eventually managed to seal the deal on a then-record $60 million contract over six years. Since then there have been several moments when we’ve seen Serena Williams and Nike cherishing their partnerships hand in hand. Recently, Williams received a gift from Nike and she looked quite happy and a bit sad too, with her beloved brand’s gesture.

Who doesn’t love receiving gifts, right? So, Serena Williams getting elated with the gift from his beloved brand is quite normal, but why was she sad though? Well, while opening the gift box, we heard Williams portray her excitement by saying, “Wait a minute, wait a minute, what’s this? This looks like something fun. This is so cute!” However, after a few seconds, she added, “Oh, my Gosh, Adira is going to go nuts.” “She’s so tiny, that won’t fit her,” the player further said, disappointed at the prospect of not seeing her little one in such cool outfits, before adding, “But it’s so cute!“

However, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen Williams receiving an oversized gift from Nike for her daughters. In February 2024, the tennis star showed off the matching Nike shoes and outfits that she had received—three pairs of custom-made shoes from Nike for herself, her husband Alexis Ohanian, and their elder daughter Olympia. Interestingly, each shoe had the name of the recipient along with the signature Nike logo. However, Olympia’s shoe took the tennis legend by surprise and she questioned, “Nike when did Olympia Ohanian get so big??? Thanks!” 

Despite these little misfit issues, Nike’s desperate attempts to surprise this tennis great got reflected multiple times in the past as well. In September 2023, Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian received a special delivery from Nike, and guess what? That was dedicated to their newborn child, Adira. It included cute shoes and tiny-yet-so-adorable outfits for their younger daughter, Adira. Williams shared a few glimpses of that on her IG story and wrote, “Look at all this stuff for baby Adira. I really love the little Nike shoes, just always so sweet. Look at this little crop top! It’s pretty awesome. Thanks to my Nike family!“

Nike and Serena Williams hold a very special partnership. After kickstarting their journey on a high note, in 2013 we saw the brand extending their contract with the tennis star with a deal worth $40 million over five years. It included sales royalties and incentives for every Grand Slam title and world number-one ranking, Then in 2019, Nike launched Serena Williams Design Crew (SWDC), a design apprenticeship program at Nike. This program aimed to help develop less privileged children and give them the stage to showcase their talent. Let’s now take a closer look at some of the memorable moments featuring this historical partnership.

Nike never fails to impress Serena Williams

Serena Williams showed up to the 2004 NASDAQ 100 Open in her first custom outfit by this renowned sports brand, featuring a corset! It marked the start of a remarkable journey and the outfit reflected her bold choice. It also perhaps gave us a hint of what’s coming next in the upcoming years. During an interview with ESPN, Williams revealed what she had told Nike during their initial conversation about these outfits. “I said [to Nike], ‘Look, I’m really into looking really good on the court. I don’t have to be very comfortable.’“

At the 2004 US Open, Williams wore a studded black Nike dress with a pleated skirt and matching gladiator-style boots. This biker-inspired look literally caught everyone’s eyes inside the stadium. Then, in a different match, she wore a black Nike tank top with a pleated denim mini-skirt. These outfits were not just like any other, but a fashion statement! In 2016, she rocked the court with a crop top and pleated skirt in the bold hue for her match against Maria Sharapova at the AO. Later on, while speaking about this outfit, Serena Williams said, the look was a result of her desire to bring “pop culture” to the tennis court.

Then came the iconic catsuit at the 2018 French Open and we saw her claim, “I feel like a warrior in it.” At the 2018 US Open, we saw her in a ballerina attire. This fashion-forward look was a collaboration between Nike and Virgil Abloh of Off-White. Williams enjoyed every moment of wearing this stunning outfit. Even in the 2021 AO, we saw her coming up with something different. Her asymmetric, color-blocked, one-legged catsuit caught everyone’s eyes. Speaking about that dress, she added, “I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, an amazing athlete when I was growing up.”

Then during her last tennis competition, we saw her donning a stunning skater-inspired look by Nike. This partnership with Nike has not only helped Williams on her mission to combine fashion with the racquet sport but also helped Nike to grow further in their business by taking up new challenges.

In 2021, during an interview, while speaking on Serena Williams, the then President and CEO of Nike John Donahoe said, “It’s a wonderful example of how one of our elite athletes has made us better, challenged us in a completely appropriate way, and by listening to the athlete, it’s made us rethink how we recruit and apprentice and train designers.” Nike surely never failed to impress Williams. Even the tennis star helped this renowned sports brand to take up challenges that no one else could’ve dared to do on tennis courts. Truly incredible!