Andy Murray celebrates winning the 2012 US Open with a Rado watch. Credit:Getty Images
A moment later Britain’s Andy Murray started shouting into his players’ box after winning the 2012 US Open over Novak Djokovic. But it wasn’t out of joy, gratitude or even relief after winning the grueling 500. It was because he couldn’t find his Rado watch for the trophy presentation, very important money.
The money that comes from sponsorships, such as Murray’s reported £1m annual Rado deal, goes hand in hand with tennis, a sport in which personal triumph usually trumps team success (exceptions include the Davis Cup and the Olympics). And with this emphasis on individuality comes a natural affinity for fashion, as so few players need to wear a uniform to compete as in football or even motorsport.
Sydney-based designer Bianca Spender, whose own collections have been inspired by tennis clothing, believes fashion has an important place in the sport. “They’re big personalities and they express that through their clothes,” she says. “And there’s not much in professional sports. So we think we have a much better understanding of who they are.”
“They are big personalities and they express it through their clothes. And there’s not much in professional sports.”
Roger Federer wearing Uniqlo and Rolex.Credit:Getty Images
While luxury watches, sportswear and footwear have been part of tennis for most of the last century, high fashion is increasingly finding its way into the sport. Take 20-year-old Briton Emma Raducana, number 76 in the women’s rankings at the end of 2022, wearing Dior to receive her Order of the British Empire from King Charles in November. Or Roger Federer, who before his retirement last September raised the bar for men’s fashion on the courts with his blazers, Rolex watches and, more recently, a ten-year deal with Japanese retailer Uniqlo. And of course, there’s Serena Williams in, well, everything she’s worn throughout her career.
In tennis theater, fashion commentator Kellie Hush can’t top Russia’s Anna Kournikova, who retired in 2003. Although Williams will likely go down as a bigger influence on high fashion, thanks in part to her collaboration with the late American designer Virgil Abloh, Hush says Kournikova was once of the first female players who “stepped away from the conservatism of the game. [with] the color, the main jewelry and that long braid”.
While Williams has continued to push the envelope — remember her Nike catsuit in 2018? Or the one-shoulder tutu, designed by Abloh in the same year? – Kournik’s outfits, especially the popular shorts with a belt, have a retro charm that still influences fashion today. And let’s not forget the male players with their own sartorial flair, from 1920s American Bill Tilden’s white jumpers and trousers to Nick Kyrgios’ oversized T-shirts and Andre Agassi’s fluorescent outfits and a three-year boycott of Wimbledon over its strict all-white dress code.
Anna Kournikova in shorts with a belt from 2002.Credit:Getty Images
Moments of so-called “anti-fashion”, such as when Australian player Casey Dellacqua famously bought her tops from Target when she didn’t have a clothing sponsor (she was later endorsed by Lululemon), also peppered the game.
“Tennis is a means of change, especially for women. It is not restrictive; tennis clothes are sports clothes that also look incredible.”
Menswear designer Christian Kimber says tennis has always been synonymous with style, especially as it’s one of the few sports that men and women play together. “So naturally there’s always been an interest in looking good on the court,” he says. “I think tennis is a tool for change, especially for women. It is not restrictive; tennis clothes are sports clothes that also look incredible.”
Kimber says that Wimbledon in particular has long been an inspiration for him: “Striped linen shirts, retro knits, polo shirts… I definitely look to icons on and off the court like John McEnroe in the 1970s when designing. This approach to style was the forerunner of activewear and you can see its influences everywhere.”
Serena Williams, left, in a Nike catsuit in 2018 and right, the same year, in a tutu designed by the late American designer Virgil Abloh.Credit:Getty Images
This summer, as the Australian Open looks to improve its lifestyle and luxury appeal, several fashion brands, from local Aje Athletica to Prada offshoot Miu Miu, have taken their cues from Center Court. Ralph Lauren, the grandfather of the American sports movement, is once again the official clothier of tournament officials. And it doesn’t hurt that tennis is the sport of choice for one of the most powerful women in fashion, USA Fashion editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who attended the 2019 Australian Open.
Ballgirl at the 2022 Australian Open in Ralph Lauren.Credit:Getty Images
Vera Yan, co-founder of Sydney-based Nimble Active-wear, says tennis offers designers an opportunity to pay homage to tradition while incorporating the latest fabric technology and what she calls “lifestyle opportunities”; i.e. people who don’t necessarily play tennis but rub the atmosphere. Libby Page, marketing director of retailer Net-a-Porter, says the latest iteration of the tennis trend started with Sporty & Rich, which produces vintage-inspired sweatshirts, pleated skirts and even tennis-inspired socks. Think Lacoste for the Instagram set.
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From box pleats to the buckles and loops that were part of sportswear in the 1920s and 1930s, tennis’ influence on fashion will continue long into the future. The game is on.