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Serving Looks: The Evolution of Tennis Style at Roland Garros

There are few fashion stages as rich in tradition—and ripe for subtle rebellion—as the red clay of Roland Garros. Each May, as the French Open serves up its spring spectacle of topspin and tension, the question isn't just who will win the title—it's who will serve the best look. Not the aloof, logo-dripped brand of cool seen courtside at a Knicks game, but a distinctly elegant je ne sais quoi —where form meets function in pleated skirts, crisp whites, and increasingly, elevated activewear with the ideal of runway lineage. Yet to understand the present, it's worth looking back. Tenniscore has always been a mirror of the moment—and a few steps ahead. In the early 1900s, women like Suzanne Lenglen glided across the clay in flowing silk dresses and bandeau headbands, breaking free from corsetry with every swing. Fast forward to the '70s and '80s, and style icons like Björn Borg and Chris Evert brought glam to the baseline with short shorts, gold chains, and perfectly feathered hair. The court became a catwalk, and the players—style stars in their own right. By the 2000s, enter Venus and Serena Williams, who redefined not just the game but the look of it. Serena's body-hugging dresses, knee-high boots, and that now-legendary black catsuit in 2018 turned Roland Garros into a battleground for fashion-forward athleticism and athletic-forward fashion. It was about performance, yes—but also about presence. Photo: Daniele Oberrauch /