"I'm so nervous, I can't go out, I feel really exposed"- When Serena Williams commented on her US Open 2002 outfit

Serena Williams is considered to be the greatest female tennis player ever by many. The American mesmerized spectators with her on-court performances and also made a name for herself through her fashion choices during tournaments.

One such outfit was her Lycra catsuit at the 2002 US Open. At the time, Williams called her outfit innovative and cute.

"This is an innovative outfit. I don't think anybody's worn anything, except going back to Ann White, at Wimbledon," the American said after winning her first-round match. "But hers was long, it was all the way to the bottom. It's a new time. I mean, like I said, it's really nice. It's really s**y. It just kind of clings. It's really cute. You know, I love it."

However, in 2010, Williams said that she was afraid to go out on court because of an outfit that made her feel exposed.

"I was like, 'I can't go out there. Oh, my God, I'm so nervous, I can't go out. I feel really exposed," Serena Williams told Harper's Bazaar.

Williams ended up having a memorable US Open in 2002 as she went on to win it without dropping a single set. She beat her sister Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 in the final, which was a rematch of the previous year's title clash that saw the latter come out on top.

It was the American's second US Open title and her third Grand Slam of 2002, having previously triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Serena Williams won a total of nine titles at the US Open

Serena Williams during an MLS match between Inter Miami and Cruz Azul

Serena Williams is among the greatest competitors in US Open history, winning a total of nine titles across both singles and doubles. The American has won six singles titles at the New York Major, which is an Open Era record she holds alongside Chris Evert.

Her first triumph came in 1999 when she beat Martina Hingis in the final, becoming the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era.

Williams triumphed in 2002 and 2008 before completing a hat-trick of titles in Flushing Meadows from 2012-2014. She won two women's doubles tournaments at the US Open in 1999 and 2009, partnering her sister Venus Williams on both occasions.

Her solitary mixed doubles title at the New York Major came in 2014 when she partnered Max Mirnyi. The duo beat Lisa Raymond and Patrick Galbraith in the final.