Serena Williams is back in the game. At 44 years old and almost four years since her last match, the tennis legend will once again play professionally with a wild-card invitation in doubles as part of the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London next week. She teased the comeback with a social media video shared by her longtime partner Nike.
As one of the biggest names in tennis, Williams has a storied history with brand ambassadorships. While she is strongly associated with Nike — she even has a building named after her at Nike headquarters in Oregon — her journey began with Puma. Her deal with the German athletic brand was negotiated by her father in 1998 when she was 16 years old, and she won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 U.S. Open wearing Puma. When her contract expired, she signed a multiyear deal with Nike in 2003 at the age of 21, which was estimated to be worth $55 million. Since then, she’s had signature shoes, customs and collaborations come out under the Swoosh name.
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Ahead of Williams’ anticipated return to the court, FN takes a look back at Williams’ on-court sneaker style through the years, from her early-career Puma days to her ongoing Nike era.
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Williams won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 U.S. Open wearing Puma Cell tennis sneakers with a butter yellow kit.
Williams played at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami in 2004 wearing Nike Air Max Breathe Free II tennis shoes to go with a white and silver kit.
Williams competed in the Medibank International in Sydney in 2010 wearing a red and white version of a go-to style for her at the time: the Nike Air Max Mirabella, a shoe featuring a midsole with transparent windows showcasing the brand’s air cushioning technology.
When she nabbed another victory at Wimbledon in 2015, Williams had on white and silver NikeCourt Flare sneakers — her signature shoe with the brand — to match a white kit.
Williams’ latest Grand Slam win came in 2017 at the Australian Open, when she beat her sister Venus Williams for the women’s singles title. It was also a momentous occasion because it was later revealed she was seven weeks pregnant with her first child at the time of the match. She competed in a custom all-black version of the NikeCourt Flare tennis shoe, in homage to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
For the trophy ceremony at the 2017 Australian Open, Williams switched into these gifted Air Jordan 1 x Nike Flare sneakers in the Banned red and black colorway — to commemorate her 23rd Grand Slam win with a Michael Jordan homage.
Williams came back to the U.S. Open in 2018 showcasing pieces made in collaboration with Virgil Abloh and his brand Off-White. The shoes from the “Queen” collection feature signature Off-White details including the arrow symbol and lettering reading “Serena” and the details of the shoe.
In 2022, which was the year Williams announced her retirement, the athlete wore a figure skating-inspired look featuring a skirt with six layers in a nod to her six titles won at the event and crystal embellishment in reference to the night sky at the tournament. But her shoes were not to be forgotten: She wore player exclusive NikeCourt Flare 2 sneakers boasting a diamond-encrusted Swoosh and solid gold lace deubrés designed by Serena Williams Jewelry.