Tennis: Williams mocks suggestions her dress an unfair advantange

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Serena Williams on Monday laughed off suggestions her lime-green outfit gave her an unfair advantage at the Australian Open because it is the same colour as a tennis ball.

"I thought about that the whole time I was designing the dress -- I can't beat these girls, I've got to think of every way to cheat," the seven-time Grand Slam champion said after advancing comfortably into the second round.

Williams, whose out-there fashion sense has often set her apart from opponents, noted that her lime-green choice was actually in step with what many other players are wearing this year.

"Actually, a lot of people are wearing a similar colour, I've noticed," she said. "I'm wearing a dress, a lot of the girls are wearing like a top and a skirt."

Fellow players who have opted for flourescent lime-green include China's Zheng Jie and Russian Marat Safin.

Fashion icon Maria Sharapova is due to unveil her latest creation for the season-opening Grand Slam on Tuesday after wearing a powder-blue dress last year that resembled a baby-doll nightie.

At the 2002 US Open Williams sported a now infamous black lycra catsuit, while at the Australian Open in 2005 she unveiled a lime-green and white costume that included knee-high spaceboots with a detachable leg section that could be removed before play commenced.

Last year she confined herself to a mint-green pleated skirt and regulation-issue tanktop.

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AFP 151243 GMT 01 07