Nadal's controversial take on Serena's catsuit ban

Rafael Nadal has offered a rather controversial take on the French Open’s decision to ban Serena Williams’ catsuit.

In a surprising piece of criticism on the eve of the US Open, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli revealed Williams – and other players – will need to be more conservative at future tournaments.

“It’s a bit late because the collections are already designed but we are going to nonetheless ask the manufacturers to let us know what is coming,” Giudicelli said.

“I believe we have sometimes gone too far.

“Serena’s outfit this year, for example, would no longer be accepted.

“You have to respect the game and the place.”

Fans erupted with anger, and less than 24 hours later Nike (Serena’s outfit provider) responded with a retort.

“You can take the superhero out of her costume,” the sportswear giant wrote on Twitter.

“But you can never take away her superpowers.”

A number of tennis greats also spoke out against the French Open’s decision, but not Nadal.

“I think that everybody is fair to do whatever works better for the tournament,” Nadal said on Tuesday., citing Wimbledon’s all-white dress code as an example.

“I really believe when you have a tournament like Wimbledon that they do what they want.

“You cannot say to another event that they have to do another thing.

“That’s my opinion. Why if Wimbledon have they own rules, why Roland Garros cannot have it?”

Williams had said in Paris that the catsuit – particularly the full-length pants – was to assist with her ongoing post-pregnancy issues.

“I had a lot of problems with my blood clots and, god, I don’t know how many I have had in the past 12 months,” she said.

“So it is definitely a little functionality to it. I have been wearing pants in general a lot when I play so I can keep the blood circulation going.

“It’s a fun suit, but it’s also functional so I can be able to play without any problems.”