'Every brand wants to do a tennis line': Serving fashion looks

Matteo Berrettini and Taylor Fritz, who are both sponsored by BOSS, share a friendly embrace after a three-set tussle in Miami. (Getty/Frey)

Top tennis players are serving looks and aces. Following the 2025 US Open and the slow close of this year's tennis season, one thing is becoming apparent. Not only are our players and their teams becoming increasingly fashion-forward, but fashion is helping new fans appreciate the game. 

Tennis core has emerged as a fashion aesthetic that blends chic looks with functional movement. And it's catching on. Millions of views across social media platforms have been attributed to the hashtag, #tenniscore.

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Notably, Naomi Osaka has become known for her eye-catching looks, which blend high fashion and tennis core. In her opening round at this year's US Open, she wore a rose-themed outfit complete with an embellished rose headpiece. Her pieces even incorporated Swarovski crystals, and she paired her outfits with bedazzled Labubu dolls, crafted by A-Morir. She even nick-named one "Billie Jean-Bling".

Novak Djokovic strutted on court with an elaborate tennis ball custom Lacoste jacket featuring a map of the host nations of each of the Grand Slams in a design on the back of the jacket. 

Coco Guaff also debuted a custom New Balance x Miu Miu kit. 

"We obviously have core tennis fans, but fashion brings casual fans to the sport," the American said. 

Major fashion houses have joined the trend of finding star tennis players to promote their brands. Gucci has sponsored Jannik Sinner, who has been making waves by taking his Gucci bags on court with him.

Louis Vuitton has been in collaboration with US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz since 2023, serving up multiple campaigns that have captivated the media's attention. 

Bottega Veneta is also working with Lorenzo Musetti, as the Italian rocked a Bottega Veneta black jacket at the US Open that complemented his Asics outfit perfectly.

Last year, another fashionable Italian, Matteo Berrettini, along with Taylor Fritz, modelled on the runway at Milan Fashion Week for BOSS. Funnily enough, it was Fritz's upside-down BOSS bandana during his quarter-final match against Djokovic that made headlines over social media. 

"I feel like every brand wants to do a tennis line, even brands that don't necessarily sponsor tennis players — it's just kind of become a popular thing, like the athleisure and sporty clothes in general," Fritz commented during the US Open. 

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Through such collaborations and even implementing their own tastes into their looks, tennis players are becoming influential in mainstream and social media. This is helping players earn more money off the court, as well as introducing new fans and admirers of tennis on it. 

The trend mimics the fashion-forward notions of other top sports, notably basketball, with NBA and WNBA tunnel walk-outs that feature players rocking outfits before changing into their uniforms and competing. 

Currently, some of the most followed players on Instagram include Novak Djokovic (16.1 million), Aryna Sabalenka (3.7 million), Carlos Alcaraz (7.8 million), and Naomi Osaka (2.9 million). 

The combination of fashion and social media, in particular, is giving tennis players a new lens to attract people to the game. 

The official US Open website (usopen.org) stipulated that, "over 3 million unique devices accessed USOpen.org and the US Open app (59 per cent increase over 2024 and highest Fan Week Total on record) and there were over 5.3 million visits to the US Open digital platforms during that time period (77 per cent increase over 2024 and highest Fan Week total on record)."

Just how far can fashion drive tennis forward? Time will tell, but for now, it's impacting the game in an increasingly positive way.

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