Australian Open Fashion Breakdown. The Fits, The Luxury Era, and the Kits That Actually Work
If you have been around Ground Pass for a minute, you know this is the episode we do every Grand Slam season. Coffee in hand, we are taking the Australian Open seriously for the tennis and for the fits. This year, the tournament has felt like a turning point. Not because everyone suddenly became a fashion designer overnight, but because the sport is finally embracing what has always been true: tennis is culture, tennis is style, and the walk-on is a stage.
I’m joined by Ian Mondul of 40 Love Tennis, one of the original voices who treated tennis fashion like it deserved real analysis. We start with the moment that broke everyone’s brain. Naomi Osaka’s runway walk. A custom Nike dress, couture elements from Robert Wun, and a look built around her own story. It was personal, it was intentional, and it did exactly what fashion is supposed to do. It made people feel something. The reaction also exposed a familiar tension in tennis. The sport says it wants new audiences, new energy, and bigger cultural relevance. Then it panics the second someone shows up and actually delivers that.
What I loved most in our conversation is the reminder that this is not “not tennis.” It is tennis. Tennis has a long history of fashion statements, from the details of classic silhouettes to the era-defining looks that made players feel larger than life. Naomi is tapping into that tradition, but she’s doing it with modern references and with meaning that is clearly hers. Whether a look is your taste or not is fine. But calling it disconnected from tennis history is just not true.
From there, we zoom out to the luxury era that keeps getting louder. Lorenzo Musetti and Bottega continues to be one of the most natural pairings we have seen in the sport. It looks like a collaboration that was always supposed to exist. We also talk about Aryna Sabalenka stepping into Gucci, and how quickly these deals can come together in the middle of a Slam when timing, attention, and momentum are at their peak. Luxury partnerships can feel far away from the average fan, but the larger impact is real. They raise player profiles, create broader cultural visibility, and signal that tennis is worth investing in. That attention does not stay contained to the top level forever.
We also take a quick detour into one of the defining stories of the week, which was Jannik Sinner vs Eliot Spizzirri in brutal conditions. Eliot taking the first set was not just a fun moment. It was a statement, and it was a reminder that the level in tennis right now is unreal. Players do not come “out of nowhere.” They come from college tennis, from Challengers, from years of building, and they arrive the second the spotlight finally hits them. If you have been watching Off Season, you know exactly why Eliot was ready for that stage.
Then it is time for the main event. The kit audit. We go brand by brand, calling out what works, what feels lazy, and what is quietly doing the right things. Nike had some strong pieces, but also delivered an all-time “how did this get approved” moment. Adidas played it safe. New Balance continues to feel intentional and athlete-forward. Yonex had flashes of personality, especially with subtle nods to player identity, but still feels like it is leaving a lot on the table. Wilson is making a real push, especially on the men’s side, and it is starting to look like a brand that understands how to build a full look, not just a shirt and shorts.
We wrap with our personal favorites. On the men’s side, we cannot stop talking about Mattia Bellucci in CP Company. It is the rare kit that feels like a point of view. It looks like something you would wear off court, it references a whole era, and it matches the player’s vibe perfectly. On the women’s side, we split, because that is the fun part. For me, Naomi’s look is the moment. For Ian, Coco Gauff’s head-to-toe lavender package was pure cohesion. Both choices say something about what tennis fashion can be when brands actually commit and when athletes are allowed to bring personality to the court.
If you watched the matches this week and found yourself pausing to screenshot outfits, this episode is for you. And if you have never cared about tennis fashion before, this is your entry point. Because it is not extra. It is part of the story.
