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Roger Federer with 2009 Wimbledon trophy - Source: Reuters -
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When Roger Federer won his record breaking Grand Slam, Nike had him dressed in a white jacket with a gold "15" emblazoned. Product placement is the nature of the beast in a worldwide game worth billions.
From the elegant origins of an English gentleman swinging a wooden racquet wearing pleated pants and a sweater, the game today scintillataes to a stud Spaniard flexing his guns, gripping titanium, with a single logo bandanna keeping the sweat from his brow.
Known as micro-fiber, fashion brands design clothes for athletes out of breathable cotton, technology developed from a chemical company. The men's game is so fast and furious that triangulation technology decides if a 200+kph serve is in or not.
In the days of McEnroe vs Connors, the game was played with shorts so small and tight that stadium binoculars were in wide use. Leave it to the stylish Swede Bjorn Borg to establish a clothing line based on his mystique.
Fashion followed and influenced the men's game. Andre Agassi, an unknown from Las Vegas, sported the vulgar combination of denim over lycra neon, with a mullet for attention. He became much like a race car driver, festooned and ornamented. Only later did he confess to a hair weave amongst other more heinous acts.
Fashion loves tennis and tennis reciprocates. The Stan Smith tennis shoe became a cult classic. Who would have thought that a white shoe with green trim would mean so much to so many? Sock lengths were decided by star players of tennis fashion. Yet it was basketball that led the way for long and baggy shorts.
The influence of tennis fashion is beyond scale. Think of Andy Roddick serving - grabbing and adjusting his shirt. Now imagine Rafael Nadal chasing down and firing off a winner. Tennis fashion has you asking yourself - where to next?
