Tennis superstars Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka brought a mix of athletic grandeur and high fashion to the 2026 Met Gala, hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art under the theme “Fashion Is Art”.
Venus, who was one of the evening’s co-chairs, is the third tennis player to be co-chair after Serena in 2019 and Osaka in 2021, AFP said.
She appeared in a stunning black Swarovski gown, off the shoulder, with a sculptural diamond-encrusted neckline that swept across her chest and arms.
The appearance, alongside her husband Andrea Preti, was significantly inspired by the artistic concept of the event.
Venus also used the opportunity to bring awareness to gender inequalities in sports science, beyond fashion, wearing earrings that read “six percent,” a reference to findings that indicate just a tiny percentage of sports science studies are conducted on women.
The evening was an important time to shine a spotlight on that imbalance, she said, while honoring individuality and body variety.
Met Gala veteran Serena cheered on her sister throughout the entire event, and also stirred up plenty of noise on her own.
She also caught eyes in a sculptural gray mini dress by Magda Butrym at a pre-gala party held by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez ahead of the main event.
She showed up to another Anna Wintour-hosted dinner in a daring red sequin gown from LaQuan Smith, a look that garnered a mixed response online but dominated the talk.
Serena’s powerful stance on the Met carpet only reinforced her rep for mixing athletic strength with high fashion. Her sister regularly joined her, a reminder of the lasting impact the two sisters had both on and off the court.
Osaka, meantime, was going avant-garde in a custom white sculptural gown by Robert Wun.
The costume boasted exaggerated shoulders, red feather embellishments and a matching headdress, with her hands appearing to have been dipped in red paint, producing a theatrical, performance-art appearance fitting with the subject of the exhibition.
Together, the trio spotlighted the expanding confluence between sport and fashion, and the impact that female athletes have on global style discourses.
Beyond the red carpet, the evening collected funds for the Costume Institute, and elevated conversations about women’s visibility in sport and culture, a message loudly echoed by the presence and words of these tennis superstars.
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