With the U.S. Open tennis matches starting in New York on Monday (Aug. 30), what can we expect? Excellent tennis, of course, hot weather … and ugly clothes. Gone are the days when tennis players wore dignified shorts and tee shirts with a minimum of decoration. Now we have god-awful outfits being worn by both the men and the women.
The women have come up with some real doozies. Let’s start with Serena Williams who can always be depended upon to come up with something unflattering. This year, however, her sister Venus scored with the worst tennis dress ever to grace the courts. Her red lace shortie with black piping was certainly more appropriate for a brothel than an athletic venue. At the other end, Maria Sharapova, always elegant, has been wearing chiffon fluffs that would look better on the dance floor.
Caroline Wozniacki always looks gawky in a white dress that is a tad too long. Dinara Safina wears outfits that emphasize her belly and Kim Clijsters prefers wild color combinations that undoubtedly distract her opponents.
Well, women like to dress differently and imaginatively, but what about the men? The current trend is to emphasize patches under the armpits. Ugh! The shirts have the most bizarre designs, and even the shorts have been tampered with. Why is there a silly design that looks like a staple carved into the back? When Rafael Nadal joined the pros, he startled fashion connoisseurs with his Capri shorts and sleeveless shirts. Although he has become more civilized of late, he recently adopted shorts that looked like they were made out of old tablecloths.
Mardy Fish looked horrendous in his recent match, wearing a shirt with black streaks, not even acceptable for a modern museum of art. And worse still, he wears women’s socks! The designs of men’s tees shirts get crazier and uglier every year.
Fortunately, we still have Roger Federer. His shorts are tailored to perfection, with creases front and back. He wears well-fitting polo shirts with subtle color inserts. Who would think of a man wearing pink? Well, Roger looked great last week, teaming pink with brown. Sartorial splendor, indeed!
Let’s hope that Wimbledon will never change its policy of 90 percent white. Refreshing and predictable.
By Juliet Schoen