It was not clear that the outfit Serena Williams wore at the French Open in May was within the existing rules. Now it is. Christophe Simon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
After a season in which Serena Williams’s return from pregnancy forced officials to make on-the-fly adjustments to tennis’s rules, the WTA this month updated its rule book to give mothers more flexibility.
Williams’s clothing choices also spurred a clarification that allows catsuits like the one she wore at the French Open.
Previously, the WTA rule book governed maternity and injury/illness by the same rules, meaning that the dispensation for pregnancy was the same as for a sprained ankle.