From polo shirts and pleated miniskirts on the luxury runways to Zendaya's back-to-back red carpet serves on the Challengers press tour, tennis fashion is all about tennis everywhere you look right now. Even when not in Wimbledon white, people are thinking about it; according to Data But Make It Fashion, searches for "tennis fashion" have increased 80% in the past month.

This increased interest is not lost on Serena Williams, the greatest tennis player of all time when it comes to tennis and its dress code; until she put down her racket in 2022, Williams had spent her 27-year career winning Grand Slams.

At the time, her fitted Nike dresses were not common off the court. On the other side of retirement, "I feel it's a total crossover," she said.

Williams, who spoke with me at the Ritz Paris before walking the runway at Nike's Air Innovation Summit, says she never intended to start a style revolution. But by replacing her tennis dress with a black catsuit and her gluey white skirt with Y2K denim, she started a movement "without even trying."

"It really changed women's sports when I saw my sister and I on the big stage at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, looking our best, looking our best, looking like ourselves and wearing great outfits.

Williams set an example that athletes can go into a match fully expressing themselves, with or without makeup, in glittering uniforms or in functional, simple kit. The same concept applies off the court as well. As the newly minted founder of a beauty brand and head of a venture capital fund, Williams still wears her favorite sports-inspired pieces. After all, for her, tennis fashion has always been a lifestyle, not a trend.

In the coming days, Williams will delve deeper into the looks that changed her career and how she is investing in the next generation of women's sports (and style).

Since your retirement, you have invested in and mentored up-and-coming talent. When you were still active in tennis, what was the first moment you felt other athletes were invested in you and your career?

I remember one person: a black tennis player I looked up to named Gina Garrison. [Venus and I] were under 10 and we went to Houston to meet her. First of all, that was a lot of work. If I had been at the time when she was in her career, it would have been very difficult to set up a meeting with these two girls who were talking about succeeding.

But she spent time with us and struck with us as well. I remember thinking at the time, oh, maybe I could beat her. I thought it was really cool that she pulled it out that time. I couldn't forget that.

So how do you give back to young women who are just starting to play tennis?

It's not just tennis. Even without trying to do so, I have been able to inspire so many women through all kinds of sports. It was really humbling for me and kind of cool at the same time.

For me, it's about talking to women and letting them know that it's okay to be confident. If you as a woman are confident in your sport, you are "cocky." If you're a man, you're "confident."

All I can do is pass on my information, encourage and inspire other women, and give advice whenever I can. That goes across the line of tennis and everything I've done in business.

I like what you said earlier about being an example and inspiration to others without necessarily trying to be. I think that shows in your approach to style. What was a look that was a turning point for you, or a look that had an impact beyond performance?

I mean, obviously the (2018 French Open) catsuit. That woke a lot of people up to watching tennis. Then I think the other big moment was jeans. I was wearing these incredible jean skirts and boots. Those two moments were huge.

Now, if you look at all the great female athletes, whether it's basketball or other sports, they want to be glamorous on the court.

When most people look at us, they don't necessarily see the athletes themselves in their daily lives. They see the court, the field, or what we are doing. [Competitions are] our moment to really shine. That was my moment: on stage, when I put on my knee-high boots.

Where do you see your influence in terms of sport and style after you retire?

I think women in particular are embracing the fact that they can be strong and beautiful at the same time. Before, when it came to female athletes, you had to wear makeup to be taken seriously. If she wore makeup, people would say, "She's not a serious athlete; she's just a woman.

Now you can be strong and you can be beautiful. Seeing me and my sister on the big stage at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, looking our best, looking like ourselves and wearing nice outfits, I feel like those stories changed women's sports. But it definitely changed women's sports as a whole.

And it's also true in business. You can look sexy and strong and still be the CEO of a company. This whole story is a big story and I think it goes beyond sports at this point.

It's great to see people striving to get rid of those double standards. If you want to be glamorous or not, that's your choice.

I am also interested in how "tennis fashion" manifests itself outside of true sportswear. As someone who knows the sport of tennis intimately, what do you think fashion is doing right or wrong about tennis style? Even though I am not a professional tennis player anymore, I literally wear tennis skirts at home for a living. It's very comfortable.

Technically it is a tennis dress, but I see people walking around town wearing it as a fashion statement. I feel it's a total crossover.

It's a really nice, comfortable dress, it's easy to wear, and I don't want busy people telling me anymore. I like to multitask. I can work out in this dress, I can go to school, I can do so many things.

I don't think you can go wrong with tennis fashion, I think in 20 years we can look back and say, "Those shoulder pads were awful." But it's still sexy, it's still cool, and I love shoulder pads. I don't think there's a wrong way to do fashion.

Speaking of crossover, you've been active in a number of areas lately: philanthropy, entrepreneurship, fashion, and beauty. As you embark on and invest in new projects, what lessons have you learned as a full-time athlete that are most relevant to the moment?

Yes, hard work. As a full-time athlete, you have to dedicate your entire life to your sport. You have to be very selfish.

As an entrepreneur, you have to have the same attitude. Because athletes are more physical and exhausted. As entrepreneurs, some days we are more mentally exhausted, but physically we are fine. It's just different.

But if you want to be the best in tennis, you have to work hard. If you want to be the best in business, you have to say, "Oh, I'm going to be the best. "You learned that lesson you learned from tennis. How did you win the Grand Slam? I worked for two years to win that Grand Slam. So how do you make the best investment? I'm thinking along those same lines

This interview has been edited and abridged for length and clarity.