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Zendaya has brought tennis chic into the fashion mainstream, writes Lauren Cochrane.

With a new movie, ChallengersAmerican actress Zendaya has been on many premiere red carpets and chat show couches in recent weeks. And from shoes with tennis ball heels to a party dress with rackets, the former teen idol’s outfits are all a very chic take on tennis, just like the Luca Guadagnino film itself.

While the rest of us may not have the opportunity to wear a deep-cut front neon dress adorned with a tennis ball, it’ll be hard to miss ‘tenni score’ this year as clothes inspired by or worn for the sport becomes the most popular sport. latest trend.

On second-hand fashion resale app Depop, searches for tennis skirts and polo shirts have increased by 52% and 53% respectively. Interest in these traditional sports looks will also be boosted by new shiny Apple TV series Apples never fall, based on a novel by Liane Moriarty about a tennis family dynasty. Fashion brands like Miu Miu and Celine have also explored tennis style lately.

Although it is a very current trend, the connection between fashion and tennis has been around for a long time. In the 1920s, French player Suzanne Lenglen became a fashion figure thanks to wearing Jean Patou designs on the court. Tennis stars Rene Lacoste, Fred Perry and Stan Smith all lent their names to clothes and shoes that are still in many modern wardrobes.

A pave diamond bracelet is known as a tennis bracelet thanks to American Chris Evert who wore one at the 1978 US Open. Then there are the competitors who have made style statements by challenging the traditional shades of white – from John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg in the 80s to the neon colors of Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi in the 90s.

Other notable on-court fashion moments include Billie Jean King’s button-down dress, worn during the 1973 battle of the sexes match with Bobby Riggs, and Serena Williams’ black catsuit with a red band at the 2018 French Open .Stuart Brumfitt, the editor of Tennis Style magazine Bagelsays the sport’s sun-kissed circuit is key to its elevated fashion status.

“You watch rugby or football all winter long, and it’s pouring with rain. Tennis is always in these great venues. There’s a bit of inherent glamor to it.”

The game also has a longstanding connection with the wealthy.

“It was one of the first sports that wealthy, upper-middle-class women played together,” says Robert J. Lake, author of A social history of tennis in Britain.

“People tend to look to the rich and famous for new trends.”

Gary Armstrong, editor of sports and fashion magazine CircleZeroEight, says this association with wealth and glamor helped forge the connection with fashion houses. Tennis players were “good enough” to wear high fashion, while football players were not, he says.

“There’s probably a higher percentage of tennis players who have endorsement deals with watch and perfume brands. Beauty brands like tennis because it’s not too sweaty.”

The British Emma Raducanu is ambassador of Dior; Jannik Sinner, the highest-ranked Italian player in history, is working with Gucci, and Carlos Alcaraz, winner of the men’s match at Wimbledon 2023, is in ads for Louis Vuitton.

Although the players are known for their style, tennis dress codes remain strict. The French Open banned catsuits after Williams wore hers. Wimbledon’s rule that players must wear primarily white has been in place since the tournament began in 1877. Last year this was amended to allow colored underpants to allay female players’ fears about playing while on their period.

“Agassi didn’t play Wimbledon for three years because they wouldn’t let him wear neon clothes,” says Brumfitt.

“He missed big grand slams based on this sartorial principle.”

Daniel-Yaw Miller, who writes about sports and fashion for industry title The Business of Fashion, says: “There is a critical mass of young players on tour who are bolder and express their personal style on and off the pitch – Coco Gauff , Ben Shelton as well as Sinner.”

And, says Miller, it’s not just the players who are important to the link between fashion and tennis. Morgan Riddle is an influencer with 257,000 followers on Instagram, who is the partner of American player Taylor Fritz.

“She has become a tennis trendsetter and has now signed her own sponsorship deal with sports brand Wilson.

“She will bring 15 other influencers to the tournament. It spreads tennis to different audiences, which is always a good thing,” he says. – The Observer