Why Serena Williams might be wearing tape on her face at Wimbledon, explained

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you watching Serena Williams play at Wimbledon and noticed something on her face? We’re here to help.

Well, we’re sort of here to help. Because in this case, it’s not 100 percent certain why, exactly, the superstar is wearing the tape. But we’re going to try to explain it all given what we’ve seen reported and what could the best case here.

So let’s dive in: What’s on Williams’ face and what could be the story behind it? Away we go:

Sure is!

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

From Eurosport, here’s one explanation that seems to be the most popular:

A report from The Times claims this is due to a longstanding sinus problem, and the tape plays a crucial role in relieving the symptoms. Williams spoke about playing with the condition in 2007 and said at the time in quotes published by the Edinburgh Evening News: “I’m a sinus sufferer. Playing tennis or pretty much doing anything every day is not easy when you have sinuses. You feel a lot of pressure, congestion and pain and training for Grand Slams… it’s not easy.”

Sinusitis is a condition that swells the empty spaces behind your cheeks connecting to the nose. Once the lining swells, mucus cannot drain from your nose and throat correctly.

I am the farthest thing from a scientist or medical professional, so I have no idea.

But Kinesiology taping appears to be a thing that’s done to relieve sinus pressure:

No. As you’ll see below, a reporter asked about it earlier this month and Williams didn’t answer (around the 1:25 mark):

Maybe she’ll address it down the road, but yes, this isn’t something we’ve seen from Williams until now, as far as I know.