The 2022 Australian Open is in full swing (pun intended), and while we’ve already seen some colourful scenes off-court – from the bizarre ‘siuuu’ chant taking over Melbourne Park’s myriad courts to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s ugly visa scandal – what’s really been colourful are the outfits some of the world’s top players have been rocking.
Tennis has always had an outsized influence on male fashion. One only has to look at how tennis sneakers like Adidas Stan Smiths and Dunlop Volleys have become casual footwear staples, or how tennis apparel brands like Lacoste and Sergio Tacchini – both founded by ex-tennis players – have become so iconic.
Indeed, some of the most notable men’s sporting fashion icons have been tennis players: Andre Agassi, Arthur Ashe, Björn Borg, Lleyton Hewitt (come on, everyone loves a backwards cap…)
We’re only a few days into the prestigious Grand Slam tournament, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most stylish Aus Opens in recent memory. A particularly noticeable trend has been wild colours and prints – a throwback to the 90s, where tennis fashion was really outrageous. We’ve rounded up some of the best looks from the tournament thus far.
Liam Broady
First up, we have British ranked No. 4 and captain of the GB ATP Cup side for 2022, Liam Broady. Broady put up a impressive yet ultimately unsuccessful fight against local legend Nick Kyrgios… But what was even more impressive was his outfit.
This rainbow pattern is bloody amazing. Whether you think it’s a 90s fever dream or bus seat fabric chic, it was definitely hard to miss. We back it.
An element of Broady’s outfit fans might have missed, however, was his rainbow-coloured laces. It’s part of a campaign by British LGBT rights organisation Stonewall to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport, with Broady being the latest athlete to lend his support. Great stuff.
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Félix Auger-Aliassime
Another great outfit is the one 9th-seeded Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime chose today for his game against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The tasteful red, blue and white gradient is both very modern and kinda retro at the same time. Very clean.
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Seems as if a lot of Adidas athletes have been sporting kits with this sort of gradient effect, with Germany’s Alexander Zverev sporting a similar black and red gradient on his kit during his game against fellow German Daniel Altmeier. Speaking of Zverev…
Alexander Zverev
The World No. 3 is consistently one of the most stylish players in world tennis: his long hair, love of gold chains and big headbands make him particularly hard to miss. Zverev rocked a tank top at last year’s Aus Open but this year he’s gone for something a bit different – as well as bringing a number of different looks with him for the tournament.
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The outfit he wore when playing Australia’s John Millman was particularly cool. His shorts sported that gradient effect we spoke about earlier (and his shoes matched his shorts), but the pinstripes his t-shirt sported had a very classy effect that contrasted rather well with the rest of the outfit.
Corentin Moutet
France is the fashion capital of the world, so it’s perhaps no surprise that one of France’s rising tennis stars, Corentin Moutet, showed up in a rather fashionable kit.
The super-colourful painbrush-esque graphic he wore during his game against the United States’ Sebastian Korda was eye-catching, to say the least. We’re also a fan of how he chose colourful wristbands to match.
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Moutet’s not had the easiest Australian campaign. Before the Aus Open, Moutet found himself in hot water at the Adelaide International 1 tournament, getting disqualifed for swearing at the chair umpire immediately after losing the second set of his second-round match against Serbia’s Laslo Đere. Rude boy, rude oufit.
Salvatore Caruso
Finally, our vote for the best outfit of the 2022 Australian Open (so far) goes to Salvatore Caruso. The Italian World No. 146 might have been thoroughly trounced by Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović in the first round, but he’s won the outfit game pretty conclusively.
This black, green and white pattern looks like some sort of urban adaptive camouflague you’d see soldiers wearing. It seems to be a signature look for Caruso, who also wore kit sporting the design at the 2022 Bendigo International earlier in the year. We bloody love it.
Caruso called himself “the most famous lucky loser in the world” after making it into the Aus Open draw following Novak Djokovic’s last-minute deportation. We’re glad he made it into the Open, if only for that awesome kit. Bellissimo.