Why Serena Williams’ Vogue cover matters

It was just announced that Serena Williams will be Vogue’s April 2015 cover girl — and we couldn’t be more excited. The cover, shot by Annie Leibovitz, is all kinds of gorgeous, and Williams chose to tell her fans about it in only the most luxe of ways: via a photo of herself reading it poolside on Instagram.

This is Williams second time on the cover of Vogue  — her first was a shared cover with Ryan Lochte and Hope Solo for a special Olympics issue in 2012. For her return, the magazine chose a simple Rag & Bone sheath dress and Tate diamond bracelets for Williams, allowing her natural beauty to shine full force without distractions. The simplicity of her outfit takes the focus away from the clothes and onto the woman wearing them, and Williams looks elegant, chic, and powerful — a bonafide cover girl if ever we saw one.

And perhaps what’s most striking about the image is that it’s so incredibly natural. Photoshopping looks to have been kept to a minimum (I can actually recognize Williams), her hair is lovely and loose (it’s literally entwined with the middle letters of Vogue), and Williams glows all over. “Queen Serena,” indeed.