{"id":134705,"date":"2025-09-11T07:44:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T07:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/134705\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T07:44:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T07:44:30","slug":"tennis-is-serving-how-the-us-open-went-high-fashion-fashion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/134705\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis is serving! How the US Open went high fashion | Fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been one of the breakout stories of the US Open: not the surprising second-round exits, nor the at-the-net spats<\/a>, but the freshly shorn head<\/a> and Barbie-pink tank top of the winner, Carlos Alcaraz. The outsize reaction to the Spanish phenomenon\u2019s new look is the latest example of the final grand slam of the year attracting attention not just for sporting prowess, but for the style moments it serves.<\/p>\n

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Take, for instance, former champion Naomi Osaka, who crashed out to Amanda Animisova in Thursday\u2019s semi-final, but not before sparkling under the night lights<\/a> in a custom Nike indigo zip-up jacket embellished with Swarovski crystals, worn over a bubble-hem minidress. For her opening match, she wore a rose headpiece. (Also present throughout Osaka\u2019s tournament: a series of bejewelled Labubu dolls, created by accessories line A-Morir<\/a>, with monikers including \u201cBillie Jean Bling\u201d and \u201cAndre Swagassi\u201d.) The getup was \u201creally elaborate\u201d, Osaka admitted<\/a> in a press conference, but it\u2019s the kind of statement outfit her fans have come to expect and appreciate.<\/p>\n

World class \u2026 Novak Djokovic in a custom Lacoste jacket. Photograph: Lacoste<\/p>\n

Lacoste, the longtime kit supplier of Novak Djokovic, who was beaten by Alcaraz last week, has created a five-piece \u201cGOAT\u201d (greatest of all time) capsule<\/a>, with the famous crocodile logo replaced by \u2026 well, you can guess which animal. But it was the 24-time slam winner\u2019s first-round walk-on jacket that caused the most noise: a white windbreaker with laser-cut pieces of leather layered to form a low relief of a world map, and dotted with coloured tennis balls to match different court surfaces..<\/p>\n

While tennis has always had a close relationship with fashion, or at least, style \u2013 from Fred Perry<\/a>\u2019s sharp slacks and Suzanne Lenglen<\/a>\u2019s pleated skirt and headscarf to Andre Agassi\u2019s denim shorts<\/a> (originally made for John McEnroe, who turned them down) and Serena Williams\u2019 catsuit<\/a> \u2013 the walk from locker room to baseline has become its own catwalk.<\/p>\n

Court couture \u2026 Suzanne Lenglen, one of tennis\u2019s original style queens. Photograph: George Rinhart\/Corbis\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Add to that last year\u2019s hit tennis film, Challengers<\/a>, and a fresh crop of personable stars with exciting play styles, and there is now a greater appetite for a sport that had rather lost its cultural way. US Open ticket sales are up 70% in the past five years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFashion brands of all price ranges are heavily interested in tennis right now because the sport is hot, and they follow the eyeballs and money,\u201d says Jessica Schiffer, a fashion business journalist who writes the Hard Court newsletter<\/a>. Behemoths like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta have all brought high-profile players on board (Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti respectively) and smaller, boutique non-athleisure brands are creating lines that reference the tenniscore aesthetic<\/a>. Meanwhile, Depop, the second-hand clothing app, has reported a 53% increase<\/a> in searches for tennis skirts.<\/p>\n

The wealthy, upper-class roots of the sport have long seen heritage brands associated with it, but now the likes of Rolex and Ralph Lauren are no longer dominating play.<\/p>\n

Sport goes frow \u2026 Venus Williams in Lacoste at the Met Gala. Photograph: Mario Anzuoni\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Venus Williams has a prominent relationship with Lacoste \u2013 she even wore a Pelagia Kolotouros-created dress to the Met Gala<\/a> \u2013 but this year she worked with her stylist, Ronald Burton III, to further wow the Flushing Meadows front row. Among her looks were a Merino wool kit<\/a> designed by US brand Luar<\/a> ; a fun, butter-yellow shearling racket bag<\/a>, custom made by ERL\u2019s Eli Russell Linnetz; and a Pucci dress<\/a> .<\/p>\n

Daniel-Yaw Miller, who covers fashion for the Sportsverse<\/a> newsletter, predicts the influx of brand interest means traditional kit makers will have to up their game. While Nike might be ensuring Osaka dazzles and Alcaraz catches the eye in a lush plum<\/a> twinset, its ready-to-wear tennis apparel has trended towards drab. Miller points to the number of stars, including the popular Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, who have left the iconic Nike swoosh behind \u2013 following in the footsteps of Roger Federer, who moved from Nike to Uniqlo in a $300m deal<\/a> back in 2018.<\/p>\n

Ken you believe it? Carlos Alcaraz rocked Barbie pink Photograph: Clive Brunskill\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cNike is devoting the bulk of its resources to the top two players,\u201d agrees Schiffer \u2013 Nike<\/a> dresses Sinner and Alcaraz, and women\u2019s No 1 Aryna Sabalenka \u2013 \u201cso other players have made the savvy decision to look elsewhere, where they can get more money and specialised attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Britain\u2019s Jack Draper<\/a>, the world No 5 \u2013 as a Burberry ambassador and BFF of Anna Wintour \u2013 chose Queens to debut his partnership with the Californian athleisure brand Vuori.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayers have moved on \u2013 they no longer need to be just one of 20 players on a brand\u2019s roster,\u201d says Miller. Rather than be faced with an opponent in identical uniform \u2013 a common gripe of fans and, as far back as the mid-00s, Maria Sharapova<\/a> \u2013 players are creating a more individualised image to boost their profile and earnings. Nine of the top 10 tennis earners<\/a> in 2025 made more money from endorsements than prize money. Some players, such as Andrey Rublev<\/a> and Taylor Townsend<\/a>, have even set up their own labels.<\/p>\n

Burning bright \u2026 Frances Tiafoe in his new Lululemon outfit. Photograph: Sarah Yenesel\/EPA<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff, who has a collection with Miu Miu and New Balance, thinks the tennis and fashion crossover<\/a> makes the sport more accessible: \u201cWe obviously have core tennis fans but fashion brings casual fans to the sport.\u201d Gauff also believes looking good has a positive effect on her performance.<\/p>\n

But a note of caution from Stuart Brumfitt, editor of tennis lifestyle magazine Bagel<\/a>, on the more outr\u00e9 outfits: \u201cThe pros are trying to have these massive viral moments with these statement pieces, trying to mimic the tunnel walk that\u2019s been a big thing in basketball for ages, or like boxers entering the ring in their flashy gowns. But, a lot of the time, it\u2019s getting a bit Liberace, a little Las Vegas, in an attempt to steal the show. So I think, sometimes, it\u2019s actually a bit anti-style.\u201d<\/p>\n

Underneath that somewhat gaudy Djokovic jacket? A slick, simple all-black look, reminiscent of Roger\u2019s \u201cDarth Federer\u201d 2007 fit \u2013 one of the most loved looks of the past couple of decades. Simple, sleek \u2013 and not a diamante in sight.<\/p>\n

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