“Courtside Couture: The Evolution of Australian Open Fashion from Classic to Whimsical”

The Australian Open, akin to the ensemble of personalities who enter the sun-drenched courts each January, possesses its distinct sense of fashion. Over the years, it has adapted to resemble more the vibrant allure of the US Open rather than the strict all-white decorum of Wimbledon, yet energetically it falls somewhere in between.

Our relaxed footwear-optional lifestyle combined with the intensity of high summer has long fostered an atmosphere for the top players in the world to embrace color (Serena Williams has consistently acknowledged it appears more appealing on television), midriffs (similar to Anna Kournikova), and loose-fitting, untucked t-shirts (during the era of the Sampras-Agassi rivalry).

Tennis persists as the principal sporting domain that grants players a platform for overtly stylized self-expression – as long as it adheres to the regulations set by the International Tennis Federation: tidy and generally accepted tennis garb.

Streetwear on court in the 90s

The excessively large fits of this period could not appear any more relaxed. On his way to securing the first of his four Australian Open championships, Andre Agassi bested neighbor Pat Rafter in the fourth round of the 1995 event. At that moment, Agassi’s style was emblematic – color-coordinated bandanas, shorts, and t-shirts that veered into streetwear.

Looking back, Rafter somewhat complements him. His voluminous, orange-red-sage-navy striped polo shirt resembles something you’d eagerly select from the shelf of a vintage shop today.

Pete Sampras’s coordinated shorts and t-shirt the following year are just as relaxed and stylish. “You might observe individuals dressed in these types of attire on the streets today,” explains Harriette Richards, a fashion educator at RMIT University. “However, there is no chance you would witness a professional athlete attired this way on the court.”

Adidas stripes dominate

Even though Kournikova donned a black Adidas twinset in 1998, every detail from her necklaces to her exposed midriff could have been taken from the Bondi-to-Bronte coastal path today. Despite not clinching a singles championship, Kournikova’s blonde model appearance garnered her lucrative sponsorship agreements that shifted the parameters for professional athletes’ associations with brands.

Likewise, Martina Hingis’s white Adidas outfit from 2002, when she was on the path to her sixth consecutive Australian Open final (she won three of those) illustrates two aspects: one highlights “a transition from loose, cotton apparel to more fitted stretch polyester garments and an emphasis on physique,” asserts Richards. The other indicates the commencement of a period when sporting brands sought visibility for their logos and clarity in their association with athletic prowess.

From day to night to tennis

In the 2000s, three fashion icons emerged on the court and profoundly transformed the aesthetics, atmosphere, and finances of women’s tennis. Their names were Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova. Collectively, they possess 12 Australian Open championships and have all launched successful clothing lines and collaborations outside the court. Two out of the three highlighted their connections to the fashion world by announcing their retirements in fashion publications: Sharapova did so in an article for Vanity Fair in 2020, and Serena issued a similar statement for Vogue in 2022.

They transformed tennis from neat and understated to vibrant and engaging. Each dress, bodysuit, or crop top was more elaborately designed than the previous one: asymmetrical straps, mesh panels, pleated skirts, glossy adornments, and lightweight layers over tight underlayers.

“Skirts that flow, dresses that enhance, cuts that convey sophistication,” remarks LoveWant magazine editor-in-chief Bart Celestino regarding Sharapova’s style. In contrast, the Williams sisters turned tennis wear from passive to active: “Each attire a statement, a rebellion against the neat, pristine realm that tennis once embodied.”

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From Nike to Uniqlo

During his journey towards his sixth Australian Open championship and final grand slam triumph in Melbourne in 2018, Roger Federer sported white shorts alongside a T-shirt adorned with white, black, and pink stripes, aesthetically aligned with his pink sneakers and black sweatbands. The outfit epitomized the sophisticated attire Federer favored, but it signified the final occasion he would compete in Nike – his sponsor for twenty years – at a significant event.

Subsequently, he entered into a 10-year $300m endorsement arrangement with the JapaneseUniqlo just a few months afterward. This agreement positioned Federer as the highest-earning athlete globally from off-court earnings. “It was the inaugural instance a tennis player had secured a sponsorship deal with a non-sports label,” remarks Richards. “Federer is such a fashion icon, making this a groundbreaking transition in the annals of sportswear affiliations.”

Basketball singlets or nothing

Outspoken yet undeniably popular among the audience, Nick Kyrgios was participating in his third Australian Open singles event in 2016 at the age of 20 when he emerged on the court wearing a basketball singlet. Accompanied by an eye-catching diamond necklace, an impressive serve, and the reputation of wasted potential, the look would evolve into one of his trademarks. He wore it when he secured the Australian Open doubles cup with Thanasi Kokkinakis in 2022.

However, in June 2015, he infamously stated he’d prefer playing basketball instead of tennis. “However, clearly what he implied was, if he couldn’t engage in his favored sport, he’d simply don basketball jerseys on the tennis court,” observes cultural critic and long-time Australian Open analyst Osman Faruqi. “His more laid-back streetwear style has been a positive and vital influence on a discipline that urgently needs to move away from the tea and cucumber set and welcome a younger, more diverse generation.”

Changemaker

When Serena Williams stepped onto the court for her final Australian Open appearance in 2021, she had already clinched the title seven times and provided the audience with numerous unforgettable fashion moments. Despite not claiming another title, she would depart with another memorable impression: a long-sleeved, one-legged, vibrant pink, red, and black color-blocked jumpsuit.

Three years earlier, the response to her full-body black catsuit at the French Open had been so intense that it prompted an alteration to the dress regulations. In Melbourne, her bold and extraordinary wardrobe was thankfully met almost consistently with the authentic freedom available to a city that is not one of the foremost four fashion capitals (despite any aspirations it may have to the contrary).

“Serena’s take on court fashion is, for me, unequivocally unparalleled,” states Faruqi. “Unwilling to simply be the GOAT, Serena transformed the definition of what a tennis outfit could embody numerous times throughout her career, often confronting unfriendly criticism for doing so.”

Whether it was the jade-green jumpsuit she showcased in 2019, famously referred to as a “Serena-tard”, or her affinity for the most vivid hues (canary yellow anyone?), throughout her journey she epitomized profound body positivity and a playful femininity that has opened paths for future generations of players.