Venus Williams reached into the world of make-believe during her amazing comeback win over unheralded Czech Sandra Zahlavova in the second round of the Australian Open yesterday
Venus Williams reached into the world of make-believe during her amazing comeback win over unheralded Czech Sandra Zahlavova in the second round of the Australian Open yesterday.
Wearing a self-designed dress based on "Alice in Wonderland", Williams lived out her own fantasy as she recovered from a painful groin injury to overcome the gallant Zahlavova 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-4.
Williams' unusual outfit featured a yellow criss-cross pattern showing plenty of skin and a tiny patterned skirt, with flesh-coloured "nude" shorts underneath.
"The outfit is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Don't laugh," she said. "It's kind of about a surprise, because when Alice goes down the hole, the rabbit hole, she finds all these things that are so surprising."
"I put a lot of thought into my dresses," she continued. "I love fantasy, and this was kind of a way to express who I am on the court."
With the tense first set deep into a tie-break, Williams hit an overhead backhand on set point then screamed in pain as she strained a muscle in her groin. "In recent time that I can remember pain, I think this was one of the toughest ones for sure. But I just wanted to stay on the court and try to survive and see if I could feel better another day," she said.
