Roger Federer: The Swiss Style Icon

Whether you root for Nadal or Federer in the legendary rivalry, no one can deny that the best-dressed award will always go to Federer. Federer is the king of classic style and rarely the victim of a fashion mishap. He is known for perfectly coordinating his collared shirts with his traditional shorts – both of which always match his shoes, headband, wristband, and tennis racquet. What’s not to love?

In fact, Nike (his clothing and shoe sponsor) loves Federer so much, they created him a monogrammed logo. Federer revealed his new logo at Wimbledon in 2006. Since then, Nike has put Federer’s logo on everything from shoes to bags to t-shirts. Now tennis players everywhere can dress a little more like Federer – even if they can’t play like him.


And not many tennis players can say they consult with legendary Vogue Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Federer reportedly has the final say on whatever look he sports, but admits that he often asks Wintour's opinion on whatever he and Nike come up with. 

Although there are countless favorite Federer outfits, here are a few of his classic looks:

•             2009 Wimbledon collection – Federer stepped out onto the court in his best all whites. What set Federer apart was that each piece of clothing was embellished with elegant gold accents. The most prominent piece of the collection was a 1960’s inspired military jacket, which added an extra level of sophistication to his look.
•             2009 Australian Open collection – Federer worked a royal blue theme at the 2009 Australian Open. This look is a classic example of Federer’s style. While the outfit was fairly simple, subtle details made the outfit look modern, but tasteful. These details included the blue line down the outer thigh of Federer’s shorts and the white cuff on each shirtsleeve.
•             2011 French Open collection – Federer sported a classic combination of red and white for this year’s French Open. His shirt featured horizontal burgundy and white lines. The same stripe design from his shirt was used on his shoes. The look was not only stylish, but also smart, for even when clay got on his shoes, it was not even noticeable.

Federer goes down in tennis history as one of the most fashionable players on the tour. His consistently classic outfits reflect his humble attitude and seemingly effortless game. Any male player in need of tennis fashion inspiration should reference any one of his outfits. 

Serena Williams: The Unforgettable Cat Suit

Few tennis fans will ever be able to forget the infamous Serena Williams cat suit from the 2002 US Open. The black spandex outfit shocked viewers and went down as one of the worst fashion choices in tennis history. Players aren’t expected to bring out their classiest Wimbledon all whites to the US Open, but the cat suit was far from a suitable choice.

What was Serena thinking? Did she forget that she was playing at one of the Grand Slam Tournaments? The outfit was so form fitting it was almost as though she wasn’t wearing anything at all. The cat suit’s cut off sleeves revealed her bulging biceps and the spandex shorts barely covered her bottom half. Serena should be proud of her muscular physique, but there’s a way to show off the results of your hard work in a classier, less revealing way. Players should be able to wear their outfit of choice, but not if their choice is as skimpy as Serena’s cat suit.

One possible inspiration for Serena’s daring look could have been Anne White’s full body spandex jumpsuit in 1985's Wimbledon. White’s outfit was deemed inappropriate by a tournament umpire who told White to wear something more appropriate for the next round. Maybe Serena should have been asked to change her outfit was well. On the other hand, as tennis fans around the world know that tournament officials are probably a little hesitant to make calls against Serena. One unfortunate official called a foot fault on Serena resulting in the loss against Kim Clijsters in the 2009 US Open semi-finals and fans everywhere saw Serena’s temper flare. 

Luckily for Serena, no official gave her a point penalty for crossing the fashion line in 2002 – she ended up dominating the tournament and taking home the women’s singles title. Maybe Serena’s outfit choice had nothing to do with fashion at all and was strictly a strategic decision to distract her opponents. Whatever the reason for Serena’s fashion faux pas, hopefully tennis fans will never have to see another cat suit on the court ever again.