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Venus Williams expressed her heartfelt reaction to Zendaya recreating the iconic 1998 Vogue photoshoot featuring her and her younger sister Serena.
In the late 90s, Venus and Serena graced the May 1998 issue of Vogue, donning Carolina Herrera’s black and white striped, full-skirted gowns. Fast forward to 2024, Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach recreated this iconic look as a tribute to the tennis legends as part of the press tour for the tennis-centric movie 'Challengers'.
The recreation was so precise that it included Zendaya posing similarly to the Williams sisters in the original shoot, photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
Zendaya's stylist shared the look on Instagram on Thursday, April 18, where she can be seen seated on a sofa with white beaded braids hairstyle. The hairstyle was popularized by the Williams sisters in their early days.
"An ode to the GREATS @venuswilliams @serenawilliams We thank you for all you have done!" the caption read.
Zendaya herself shared the picture on her Instagram story, expressing that she is "forever inspired" by the legendary siblings. The seven-time Grand Slam champion responded to this tribute by sharing the picture on her Instagram story with the caption:
"My heart melted on this one. Iconic."
The tribute comes at a time when Zendaya is promoting her new movie 'Challengers', a tennis-centric film directed by 'Call Me By Your Name' famed Luca Guadagnino. The film, set to hit the theaters on April 26, stars Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor in the lead roles.
Venus Williams attended the premiere of 'Challengers' in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 17.
Zendaya discusses the challenges faced by Serena and Venus Williams as Black female tennis players
Over the recent months, Zendaya has been vigorously promoting her upcoming film 'Challengers'. In a conversation with Vogue, she expressed her thoughts on the immense strain the Williams sisters had to bear as Black women in the world of tennis.
The American actress acknowledged the pressure they endured not only for being exceptional athletes but also for being women of color in a demanding and often isolating sport.
Zendaya expressed her admiration for how Serena and Venus Williams navigated these obstacles, saying:
"Fu**ing all of it. The story, the amount of pressure, the microscope that they were under, the loneliness they must have felt—because it’s already lonely to be a tennis player, but to be a Black female tennis player, I can’t imagine."
The 'Dune' famed star also admitted that her knowledge of the sport was limited before she took part in the film ‘Challengers’ and she only "connected" to the Williams sisters and Roger Federer:
"Serena and Venus [Williams] — that's all I connected to. And probably Roger Federer."
Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"
