Then, when Williams made her official return to tennis last summer, she was faced with more adversity. At the French Open, she wore a black catsuit (in part to help circulation following her life-threatening blood clots), which led to the French Tennis Federation changing the dress code in order to "respect the game and the place," the French Tennis Federation president said. At the US Open in September, Williams received a series of controversial code violations and ultimately a game penalty, costing her the title. "The fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person that has emotions and that want to express themselves and they want to be a strong woman," Williams said following the match. "They’re gonna be allowed to do that because of today."