Known for Pushing Fashion Boundaries, Serena Williams’ Controversial Boot Design Received Serious Criticism From Nike in 2004

Serena Williams has made a statement with her iconic looks and her feisty demeanor on the court, making every effort to excel in each of these areas. The 23-time Grand Slam champion’s attire from the 2004 US Open was one of her less-than-stellar tennis ensembles, though. The designer recently discussed the inspiration for the outfit.

One of the worst outfits to have come out was the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s dress from 2004 when worn with a flashy pair of tennis footwear. The tennis boot world was the game’s high point and is still recalled today among her worst clothing choices.

Wilson Smith III details the idea behind the Serena Williams tennis boots

The former world number one at the time wore two dreadful outfits for the 2004 US Open. The other features a mixture of black studs and denim, giving it a more metal rock star appearance and had the tennis glittery boots in common. However, the designer recently spoke up about the inspiration for those stylish tennis boots and how they relate to Serena Williams.

In a recent conversation the designer, Wilson said, “Oh great, so I always watched her shoes, she always wears boots and asked her what do you think about tennis boots, she said oh I love tennis boots and she signed up for it. And it was quite fun… So, I created these Boots so you can zip off this spat of the boot.”

He added, “She’s wearing boots and cameras flashing, but that night, they(Nike) told me, we don’t want her wearing those boots all the time; that’s too much.”

Additionally, these boots also got serious criticism not only from tennis fans but also from the partner company, Nike.

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They were different, they had spat behind to zip off the boots. The tennis star, however, didn’t bother sparkly boots during the tournament matches, but she would them in a warm-up match and the whole curious or controversial dress started from there, leading her to wear those boots once again.  

Williams’ 2004 chaotic outfit

The tennis player accessorized with golf ball-sized earrings and donned a crop top, denim skirt, and leather motorcycle jacket in addition to these boots. On the center Court, the skirt exacerbated the swimwear issue. The 23-time Grand Slam champion wore this dress for the first time following her collaboration with Nike.

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Even though the organizers disapproved of those boots, the former world number one only wore them during the opening set off of the first match.