Venus Williams has a quirky yet classic taste in fashion on the tennis court. She is definitely no Maria Sharapova who busted out a tuxedo for last weeks first round match in Russia but on the rare occasion she can look, dare I say it, elegant in her black Nike tennis skirt and large diamond earrings. Perhaps her quiet style is what led photographer Koto Bolofo to start his trailing of Williams four years ago and his quest to capture that mix of elegance and rawness he saw within the sweaty and muscular tennis player.

Williams new self-entitled book by Bolofo features a series of photographers of the tennis star in her natural habitat in stunning white evening gowns and classic pencil skirts meant to reinforce the lady inside the beast. Bolofo said, “I did not want to photographer her in a stereotypical, banal way, packed with lots of action. For me there were too many celebrity sports images that lacked style, signature and an obvious intimate relationship between photographer and subject.”

The photos of Venus look soft and classic and definitely highlight her beauty over her achievements in sports. “This is a woman, not a sports machine.’ I wanted to make an art book of a beautiful woman, not just someone who whacked a ball around,” said Bofolo.

And isn’t it too easy to categorize a female as either butchy athlete or beautiful woman? What makes Venus such a captivating celebrity and sports figure is that she is a fascinating mix of both, refusing to be pigeonholed into one category. She has won Wimbledon four times and has her own clothing line called EleVen. This book is a testimony of her ability to dodge stigma’s in both sport and fashion.

Venus Williams by Koto Bolofo, published by Steidl, is available exclusively from Ralph Lauren, New Bond Street, London W1, from June 19.

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