French Open digest: ‘superhero’ Serena Williams stars in Paris

Williams: catsuit made me feel like a warrior

Serena Williams marked her return to Grand Slam tennis with a first-round win at the French Open against Kristyna Pliskova – but it wasn’t just her on-court skills that were the talk of Paris yesterday.

The 36-year-old American, who was playing her first Grand Slam match since giving birth last September, wore a black catsuit on court at Roland Garros in her 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win against Pliskova.

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When asked what it was like to wear, the 23-time Grand Slam winner said it made her feel like a “superhero”. Quoted by the BBC, Williams said: “I feel like a warrior wearing it, a queen from Wakanda maybe. It was comfortable to wear.

“I’m always living in a fantasy world. I always wanted to be a superhero and it’s kind of my way of being a superhero.”

Williams also revealed that the suit has helped her cope with blood clots, the BBC reports. She added: “I had a lot of problems with those – I don’t know how many I have had in the past 12 months... It’s a fun suit, but it’s also functional so I’m able to play without any problems.”

In the women’s singles, Maria Sharapova and Garbine Muguruza are also through to the second round.

Two-time French Open winner Sharapova beat Richel Hogenkamp 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 while third seed and 2016 champion Muguruza won 7-6 (7-0), 6-2 against Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Nadal beats Bolelli – and the rain

Defending champion Rafael Nadal completed his rain-affected first-round clash against Simone Bolelli to win 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (11-9). The Spaniard, a ten-time French Open champion, will next face Guido Pella.

Britain’s Kyle Edmund is also through to the second round after a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory against Australia’s Alex de Minaur. Edmund, seeded 16 in Paris, will play Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round.