Ace up the sleeve

Gurnaaz Kaur

Tennis season’s first Grand Slam of 2019 — the Australian Open — is not only a delight for sport-lovers, but an equal treat for fashion-lovers. And the head-turners are not the spectators, but the players themselves. Bright colours, stylish gear, trendy outfits with different themes and amazing accessories - nail art, tattoos and hairstyles — are all raising the tempo. After all, fashion and sports go hand-in-hand.

Green glow

The 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams has been the star of the court with her emerald green playsuit named after her. The Nike Spring Player Dress, with bold stripes around the waist and centre torso, features a small cut-out on her lower back. Serena turned the dress into a jumpsuit by removing the skirt from the dress and surprised her sponsors, as well as those who had been guessing her clothes for months! She teamed it up with customised Nike runners.

Denim dazzle

Maria Sharapova’s washed denim Nike dress, again named after her, caught the eye not just for its cool, breezy colour, but for an attempt to bring 90’s fashion back. In another trendy dress in pale colour with its see-through waist and sleeves, which added feminine touch to the sportswear, she looked no less than a model.

For a cause

Even Caroline Wozniacki upped the style game by representing a cause. She wore Adidas’ collection, which included material made from recycled plastic bottles, created in co-operation with Parley for the Oceans. Tank top with skirt in blue ombre brought all shades of ocean on to the court and her matching nail colour added to the outfit.

Celebrating oceans, its blue palette and spreading awareness about the plastic pollution in waters is also Garbine Muguruza, who donned Adidas Spring Parley Dress, which featured a notch collar, unlike the tank with regular neckline. In another outfit inspired by sunny beaches, her lightweight flowy barricade skirt in white complemented the tight-fitted green tank with cooling mesh back and classic zipper detail by the neckline.

White magic

Last year’s runner-up Venus Williams looked stunning in her white Diva Dress with pink and blue prints on the chest and waist. This is from her EleVen collection that incorporates geometric patterns in bold colours. She matched a pink arm sleeve with this unique dress.

Men’s corner

On the men’s side, ‘sleeveless Rafa’, Rafael Nadal, stole the show in his yellow-orange top and white shorts. His kit for the grand slam has been quite loved by the audience.

Swiss master Roger Federer has been defeated by Greek wunderkind Stefanos Tsitsipas; not only was the latter’s game admired a lot, but his style also attracted much attention.

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