I’m genuinely curious about this. How important is your tennis apparel? How much do you value looking good on the tennis court?
It’s early in the 2022 season and we have seen plenty of pros switching brands when it comes to their apparel. Many recreational player buy tennis clothes based on what their pros use. But how important is your tennis apparel really? Do you just wear whatever to your session or match, or is a part of how you feel on the tennis court?
I’d actually be really keen to hear from the pros as well here (but maybe unlikely). I’m sure they sometimes get kits they really dislike from their sponsor. If they’re ranked higher they might have a say beforehand, but otherwise I’m sure they just need to wear it without much discussion.
Recent Pro Player Apparel changes
I’ve talked about some of these in a recent video on my YouTube channel, but there’s more. Let’s list some of the apparel changes we’ve seen so far in 2022.
I wrote about Matteo Berrettini going to Hugo Boss (BOSS). They’re a high-end brand so I’m sure their clothes will be pricey, but nice. It will be interesting to see what he wears for the Australian Open.
His girlfriend and WTA pro, Ajla Tomljanovic, has moved from K-Swiss to American sportswear brand Original Penguin. Looks classy to me.
US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez has changed from Asics to Lululemon, a Canadian luxury sportswear brand.
Ugo Humbert is now with Lacoste instead of Wilson.
Marton Fucsovics went from Hungarian streetwear label DRK to Hydrogen.
Yulia Putintseva is now with K-Swiss.
Clara Tauson has moved from Yonex to Adidas.
Gael Monfils went from Asics to Artengo.
Christian Garin is now with Emporio Armani.
The trend seems to be that there is more competition for the players. Some years back we saw Nike and Adidas everywhere. It’s nice to see more brands, looks and collections out there.
What do you like to wear and why?
Checking the new men’s apparel at Tennis Warehouse, (or Tennis Warehouse Europe / Tennis Only) what kind of brands do you think the best job of making fresh and exciting clothes for the tennis court? Or do you prefer a cleaner, classier look?
I’m also curious if you have any favorites when it comes to all-time tennis collections. Go as far back as you want! Being an old-school kinda guy, I often wear retro-inspired clothes in my videos made by the small Amercian brand Vollaix.
4 comments
I like to wear what is comfortable, and that’s it
I only pay attention to shoes, and more recently, shorts. I only use unbranded t-shirts and socks, and hoodies, etc.
I have about 5 or 6 tennis shorts, an as long as they do the job, I don’t care if it’s an expensive brand or some low cost Artengo, or similar – by the way, the latest Artengo shorts I bought do the the job just fine, they stretch a bit down under (not meaning Australia…) and have a good quality/price ratio
I think tennis apparel varies between male/female, young/old players. It can even be influenced by the country/region in which you reside, as fashion tastes vary greatly between continents/climates. That said, the purpose of tennis wear is function. I personally can’t stand todays high performance synthetic fabrics, that 99% of clothing companies now make shirts/shorts from. For me, 100% cotton is the only gear I will wear, which limits my apparel company choices greatly. I rely on Champion, Jockey, LL Bean, Lands End for their sports wear. For practicing, a cotton t-shirt and white shorts are fine. For tournaments or indoors in a club setting, I will wear a polo shirt and white shorts. Another thing that doesn’t bother me, is wearing different brands. For example, I wear New Balance shoes, play with a Yonex racket, wear Champion shorts, wear LL Bean shirt. Some people have to have as many items from the same brand to look like their favorite pro player.
I’ve been really into tennis clothes ever since I was in high school and could never get any Ellesse, Sergio Tacchini or Fila clothes. I’m a graphic designer by trade, so I pick my clothes carefully. I like interesting designs and slightly different colors than the normal stuff. I try to keep my shirt and shorts the same brand if I can when I play but I don’t worry about the shoes as it’s too expensive to always match. I like nice colors in my hats, but also always have a black and white one to choose from if the orange or indigo blues don’t look good that day.
Shoes are most important and, for me, I’ve learned to stick with ASICS after trying others. Clothing I’ve tried a few, concerned less with the brands specific pros wear than what is comfortable. I’ve seen a few of them comment that clothes are clothes so they obviously don’t view much difference in the various “technologies” of the different brands. For me I’ve found Adidas to be very comfortable on court. ASICS clothes, not as high quality as the shoes in my experience. I’ve had a couple Nike pieces from the Rafa line that were very good but those items tend to run on the expensive side. Other Nike products I’ve struggled with weird sizing issues. I have a nice Sergio Tacchini shirt (and hoodie for cool weather to/from court) that are very high quality and has me considering more of their line. Socks are another item I have found a quality item to be important for added comfort. I have a some Nike socks that have been great. Adidas socks however quickly developed holes, despite being comfortable they weren’t durable.