What's a tennis tournament these days without a little clothing controversy? We are only three days into the first Grand Slam of the year and Venus Williams' on-court attire is already the subject of much criticism.

It is certainly not the first time that the Grand Slam champion has sparked major fashion discussion due to her risque attire. Much like her 2010 French Open lingerie-inspired outfit and 2010 U.S. Open "fireworks" dress, fans are buzzing about yesterday's Australian Open ensemble. An internet search for "Venus Williams short dress" would show you just what we mean.

The "short dress" was self-designed by the tennis trendsetter, who also has her own line of clothing called EleVen. The shiny aqua blue dress/shirt hit her just at the thighs and was paired with skimpy black shorts, which were actually a last-minute decision. Nude undergarments were the initial plan. "It really was an 'Illusion' dress, the illusion when I wear the nude shorts under," Venus Williams said. "But at the last minute I decided not to."

Williams ended up winning her Round 1 match with a quick 6-3, 6-3 victory over Sara Errani. But despite the win, fans are once again ignoring her play in favor of her outfit. Even in-game conversations center around her attire. Check out this exchange between broadcasters Dick Enberg, Mary Carillo and John McEnroe during the U.S. Open. They also had a "tug count" with regards to the number of times (42) that Venus' adjusted her dress.

John McEnroe: "I think that dress has distracted [Venus]."

Dick Enberg: "It’s distracting you."

McEnroe: "That’s a fair point."

Enberg: "It sounds like it might be a distraction to her opponent."

McEnroe: "Well, she’s tugging at it. She’s uncomfortable with it."

Mary Carillo: "She uses that fabric a lot in her designs, John. And for the last couple of years we’ve seen her have to correct her outfit after every point."

Venus' outfits are always shaking up the tennis world and that seems to be the way she likes it. But she is certainly not the only female tennis player who opts for short gear. So is everyone making too big a deal?

There's no Wimbledon-esque dress code for this tournament, she is wearing shorts and the Australian temps this time of year are extremely warm.

What's your verdict? Inappropriate attire or just let it be?

- Glam Gal -

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• Tennis, Sports, SportsPLUS, Fashion

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• Australian Open 2011

There are 3 comments on this post. Join the discussion!

Keely Dunn says:

If Venus wants to wear a long shirt over spandex shorts, who cares? What mystifies me is that this self-professed designer can't make an outfit that is *functional* - i.e. that she doesn't have to constantly adjust and tug at. If it rides up to your waist constantly, then the fabric, the cut or a combination of the two just DOESN'T WORK. That is enough to convince me *never* to by her athletic clothing.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 3:00pm EST

srobles says:

As an elite level athlete, I can say it is very important to have as little distractions as possible the day of competition. You don't want to have to adjust your hair 80 times, tug on your shirt (dress)/shorts, have your mascara run into your eyes, get your earrings caught, etc.

While she reserves the right to wear wheat she wants as long as it follows the rules of her federation or competition, I feel that wearing an outfit that is distracting and immodest is inappropriate for her activity.

This is a tennis match, not a runway or a magazine cover. Her outfit should reflect professionalism, class and be made for performance. If the announcers, officials, athletes, and spectators are too distracted by the outfit, there is a problem.

As a side note, being a high level athlete, little girls are looking up to her. I'd hate for my future children to want to dress that.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 4:41pm EST

Keely Dunn says:

I'd hate for a little girl to think that how she looks is more important than how she performs, therefore she should wear an uncomfortably short dress in a fabric that clings and crawls just to market and promote herself and her sport.

Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4:45pm EST