Serena Williams retired from tennis, but her influence in fashion is forever

Serena Williams is an ambassador for numerous brands, one of them being Audemars Piguet, a role she was appointed to in 2014. Photo: Instagram/Audemars Piguet

From glossy magazine covers to generation-defining on-court styles, Serena Williams took a bow at the US Open on Friday (Sept 2), having rewritten the fashion playbook for female athletes while building an empire of her own.

The 23-times Grand Slam winner chose the bible of women's fashion, Vogue, to announce she was "evolving away from tennis", before taking to the court in her bedazzling Nike sneakers at the US Open this week under the watchful eyes of the magazine's grand dame, Anna Wintour.