How tennis stars are reclaiming fashion spotlight from WAGs
There was a seismic shift in tennis fashion when Naomi Osaka entered the Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open wearing a jellyfish-inspired floor-length outfit and hat.
He glides into midfield with the intensity of an assassin in Quentin Tarantino’s play kill bill In the movies, the old world number one seemed to have disappeared. The Melbourne Cup was two months ago and even a gauzy hat, pleated miniskirt and wide-legged trousers with a matching umbrella would have raised microbladed eyebrows, a fashion public at the Birdcage at Flemington Racecourse.
Osaka’s point became clear when the tendrils of her turquoise tie-dye dress moved as the crowd gasped. After years of being in the spotlight with tennis WAGs and celebrities wearing sponsored clothing, the 28-year-old has shifted her fashion focus back to the players.
“Oftentimes, others write our stories for us.” Osaka told US Vogue. “This felt like a moment where I could write a piece of my own.”
The eye-catching outfit, which Osaka designed with Hong Kong-born, London-based designer Robert Wun and his sponsor Nike, was filled with meaning.
The fabric butterflies on her hat and umbrella evoked the moment the most fashionable insects landed on Osaka’s nose at the 2021 Australian Open. The vibrant ruffles on the official Nike jersey referenced jellyfish, delighting Osaka’s two-year-old daughter, Shai.
The biggest statement from the bleeding seats was that Osaka loved dressing up, and the rest of the cast was following her approach with the same enthusiasm that Zara designers followed Paris Fashion Week.
At New Balance’s brutally gray compound at Melbourne Park, fans are already lining up to get their hands on the periwinkle sports jersey Coco Gauff designed for AO.
Gauff must think Osaka’s butterflies were the same way last season, because she wore them as part of her Wimbledon outfit.
“It was a corset-type outfit with 3D butterflies and strawberries on it,” Gauff says. “It was really cool, but it was a little difficult to be honest.”
“This is the first time people have been able to buy my kit. I’m happy to share the love.”
“My past kits have been more complex, which may be harder to sell, but they will become even more complex later this year.”
In the future, Gauff will be able to follow Osaka’s assertive lead in greater detail and fully express the creative side of her personality.
“As a female athlete, sometimes people try to put you in a box and think we have to be locked into our sport 24/7, but that’s not going to happen for any job,” Gauff says. “To showcase my personality off the field… I just want to make an impact.”
Osaka and Gauff are making progress in their tennis style. In recent AO tournaments, influencers like Morgan Riddle and Paige Lorenze (partners of players Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, respectively) have stolen fashion headlines.
Former Top 20 player Daria Saville in April Posted on TikTok that athletes are being overlooked by fashion brands in favor of WAGs.
“It’s everywhere but female tennis players aren’t getting these brand deals,” Saville said. “She’s actually a tennis WAG who fits the ‘aesthetic’ more than us sweaty tennis players.”
“Of course there is room for both WAGs and female tennis players but I always feel we are left out.”
With Osaka’s power move, the players returned.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka announced a lucrative collaboration with US jewelry brand Material Good on social media, wearing a peach, pink and black Nike outfit reminiscent of jet-set Pucci, in homage to Serena Williams.
Sports brands also reap the benefits of highlighting the personal tastes of their ambassadors.
“We don’t have specific sales figures to give, but this year it’s already doubled from the previous year,” says Jeff McAdams, New Balance vice president of global marketing, shortly after Gauff defeated Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round.
“When you have an athlete who challenges you like Coco did, there’s no better gift than that, right?” says Evan Zeder, New Balance director of sports marketing. “He knows he will be under the lights on the world’s biggest stages, in the world’s most fashionable cities, and he wants to make sure he shines brightest on those stages.”
Now it’s time to catch up with the male players. Italy’s Jannik Sinner and US player Reilly Opelka may have made a double mistake with dark brown over brown and olive suits that look more like uniforms at the Australian Wildlife Refuge, more suited to Robert Irwin.
Opelka’s brown polo shirt is on the luxury end of tennis apparel and costs $635. Of course, you can add a hat with a veil for this much money.
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