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

Serena’s black catsuit is the talk of
Roland Garros after her first-round victory

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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.

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 [the suit] definitely has little functionality to it.
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.