Watch: Bethanie Mattek-Sands talks tennis fashion through the years

"Fashion is a way that you can express yourself, and for me personally, it helped me ... it was a conversation-starter, it brought out my creativity and ultimately, it helped me define my personality, even while I was on the court and you weren't talking with me and you weren't getting a sense of who I was."

Nine-time Grand Slam doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands has been well-known for her eye-popping, creative and colorful choices in on-court clothes since she arrived on the professional circuit. She's got the passion, so there's no one better to explore the history of tennis fashion.

From the long, flowing skirts of Suzanne Lenglen and others at the turn of the 20th century, to the dawn of women's professional tennis in the 1970s and the modern creativity of the Williams sisters, Mattek-Sands serves as our guide through tennis's sartorial history.