The third day of U.S. Open was last for Kim Clijsters. Not only the last day of the tournament, but the last day of her tennis career. 29-year old tennis star retires after the defeat by Briton Laura Robson. With 41 titles, including four major crowns, and long stints at world No.1, Clijsters leaves fulfilled. And we take chance to showcase Kim in our Fila fashion review for 2012 U.S. Open, along with other Fila ambassadors. At least Kim won't have to wear those ugly Fila styles again.
We all held our breath during the match between Roger Federer and Julien Benneteau... Thanks God Roger didn't repeat Rafa's fate... However this year's Wimbledon is really unpredictable. And I won't be surprised if the winner would be someone "unexpected"...
The day five (round three) was last for several favorites once again - Fernando Verdasco, Milos Raonic, Nicolas Almagro, Janko Tipsarevic and Vera Zvonareva. Vera was playing Kim Clijsters, and had respiratory problems which made her retire during the second set...
So as a day five tennis fashion review, we'd like to present Fila Wimbledon fashion featured by Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters on women's side and Janko Tipsarevic on men's.
Vera Zvonareva, Wimbledon 2012
Kim Clijsters, Wimbledon 2012
Janko Tipsarevic, Wimbledon 2012
Frankly, Fila never was good in style and this Wimbledon collection wasn't an exception. Nothing special. For men's and women's Wimbledon Fila fashion, check out Tennis Express, Holabird Sports or Golfsmith.
Fila's Australian Open 2012 collection is not in stores yet, but as we see, this season Fila went for both bright combinations with black and yellow and calmer grey-white-pink palette. A couple of surprises here as well - Vera Zvonareva is now with Fila, same as Nadia Petrova (at last she said "good buy" to Ellesse which didn't compliment her with the clothing). So, let's have a look at Fila girls and wait for the clothing to get to the stores.
Gaining his 18th straight victory, Roger Federer is setting his sights for his 17th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open later this month. After his 1st-round trouncing of Nikolay Davydenko in less than an hour in Doha at 6-2, 6-2, he gave notice to top-seeded Rafael Nadal. Rafa was given a bit of a scare in his first-round match against Phillip Kohlschreiber, finally pulling it out in two and a half hours to win 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
Federer and Nadal launch the 2012 season in Doha, Qatar.
With a Grand-Slam title still eluding Andy Murray - the World’s No. 4 in Men’s Singles Tennis - the Scotsman has hired yet another coach, eight-time Grand-Slam winner, Ivan Lendl. "To me this is like Groundhog Day, I have been in this movie,” commented Lendl who did not win a Grand Slam championship until his fifth appearance in a Grand Slam final. Let’s hope that finally the cranky Scot has met his match. Is Andy setting his sights on a Wimbledon win in 2012? It remains to be seen: This is the ONLY Grand Slam that his new mentor did NOT win.
According to ESPN.com, Serena Williams (like her male counterpart, Andre Agassi) is surprisingly NOT a lover of the game of tennis. The 30 year old, 13-time Grand Slam winner has been ridiculed for her outside interests of acting and fashion design, but she has commented, according to TennisNow.com, that it’s these interests that keep her coming back to tennis…no doubt she needs the money to keep pursuing areas in which she shows far less talent!
Serena Williams – Looking fit on day two of the Brisbane International Tennis Tournament
Injury-plagued Kim Clijsters is participating in the season-opening Brisbane tournament after being out since last August. The Belgian fought ankle and abdominal problems for most of last year, but has confirmed her injuries have healed. She and Germany’s Andre Petkovic were among the players to reach the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Kim Clijsters fights back to top Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in Brisbane, Australia.
Although we love all of the action that a good Grand Slam brings, part of the fun is catching up on the latest on-court styles. Check out our play-by-play hits and misses for 2011!
THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
While there were a few comely outfits turned out by a couple of female players at the Aussie Open, we wanted to give attention to a couple of SERIOUS misses…in hopes that we never have to see them (or anything like them) again!
MISS
This monstrosity posing as a “tennis dress” features some very obvious problems: the fit, the back zipper which looks like it was constructed by a 6th grade sewing student and an overall absence of class or style… yikes!!!
MISS
Is Kim Clijster’s taste level really this bad, or is she simply too nice to say, “NO” to her long-time sponsor? A little green goes a long way! Just a button-collar, white, cotton shirt would have made all the difference!
THE FRENCH OPEN
HIT
Fresh and fun…we love the pop of color and bright white accents in this Adidas outfit, tastefully put together by Maria Kirilenko! Our grade: A+++
In the battle of the big sponsors, this one-shouldered, Nike dress thrown over a black sports bra is just a sad, frilly MISS or mess…whichever way you want to view it!
WIMBLEDON
Blond vs. Blond: While Miss Sharapova sports a very comfortable, classic and well-fitting HIT, Miss Mattek-Sands is, as usual, SANS style in this unattractive and distracting MISS!!! One word: “Ugh!”
THE U.S. OPEN
Julia Goerges is full of focus in this cute, comfy and sporty ensemble (left), a definite HIT, while Nadia Petrova decked in a multi-colored MISS (right) prays for much-needed style!
Stay Tuned for Part Two - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Tennis Fashion Hits (and Misses) in 2011 – “The Guys”
The first in a series of advertisements for "Strong is Beautiful" - WTA's new global ad campaign - this :30 second commercial focuses on all of the characteristics necessary to become a successful professional tennis player. World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki described the video this way:
"It takes so many elements to reach the top of such a competitive sport as tennis - strength of character, discipline, and will power. All of these things define who we are as people and as athletes. For me the new campaign is able to capture the inner strength of players in a beautiful way."
Shot by famed Los Angeles photographer and filmmaker Dewey Nicks, the stunning imagery portrays the players in a unique way with an ultimate focus on their inner strength.
Featured players: Sam Stosur, Ana Ivanovic, Li Na, Caroline Wozniacki, Vera Zvonareva, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka & Kim Clijsters.
'Countries', the second commercial in the "Strong is Beautiful" global ad campaign, celebrates the global reach of women's tennis yet lets us know that no matter where the players come from, all of them share the same goal - to be the best in the world.
Serena Williams' ubiquitous self confidence comes through while assuring the viewer that the only reason she brings seven tennis outfits to each Grand Slam is because she intends on wearing them all, for each match she plans on winning.
China has a population of 1.3 billion people yet they've never had a No.1 player or a Grand Slam champion. China's Li Na talks about the pressure and hope of her country's 1.3 billion people on her shoulders, yet she is willing to take on the challenge.
While balancing motherhood and professional tennis is quite challenging, Kim Clijsters has taken on the challenge by devoting 100% of herself to tennis.....and 100% to raising Jada.
Victoria Azarenka is known for her power game, using every inch of her body to crush the ball. However, it's not physical strength alone that has propelled the Belarusian up the rankings, but mental prowess too.
Like numerous other players, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic has had to overcome hardships, growing up in war-torn Serbia. Growing up in war-torn Belgrade made tennis practice difficult but it didn't deter her from striving to be the best.
The French Open…this is the highlight of the year for clay-court tennis aficionados! For those of us that love tennis AND fashion, there were plenty of stylish players on the red clay in 2011 – some are still around, and others have said “Au Revoir.” When it comes to style mishaps, we thought we were in the clear with the absence of the Williams sisters, but this is plainly not the case. Check out our picks for the…
Top Five Worst-Dressed Tennis Players: 2011 French Open
1st PRIZE – Bethanie Mattek-Sands – What??
This “get-up” is just wrong on so many levels we don’t even know where to begin…the photo says it all!
2nd PRIZE – Kim Clijsters - Jackson Pollock, Gone Wrong!
Note to Kim: Splatter paint went out in the 80’s, and even when it was trendy, it was unattractive. There is waaaay too much going on with this outfit, and on top of that, these colors are awful! The idea is to choose shades that complement the orange-red clay, and this shade of pink is the furthest thing from complementary!
3rd PRIZE – John Isner - Bar Graphs make Bad Fashion!
One would think that the last thing John Isner would want is to call attention to his “Herman Munster” physique. Our advice: Go for solids, John!
4th PRIZE – Magdalena Rybarikova – Pajama Party!
Did Magdalena raid Francesca Shiavone’s closet? The “pajama experiment” was a dismal failure in our opinion, and we hope it will NOT be making a comeback next year. Our recommendation: try something a little sportier, and ditch the pastels - they have a tendency to “wash out” players with a light complexion. This goes for you too, Maria Sharapova!
5th PRIZE – Jelena Jankovic - Jumped the Shark?
Clothing can say a lot about a person. Compared to the simple and classic Reebok styles we were used to, this dress from her new sponsor, ANTA, looks busy and cheap. While we typically love Jelena in pink, this shade doesn’t pair well with the burnt-orange clay. And, instead of matching or complementing the outfit, these purples shoes clash!
Do you think that there was something else that deserves the WORST mention? Let us know!
Every young kid starting out in tennis dreams of a host of grand slams and a Nike sponsorship. While they do cut an attractive tennis outfit, not every player is fortunate enough to be a part of the Nike “team,” and surprisingly, not all of them want to be. This year’s Miami Sony Ericsson Open brought out the style in certain players and the unattractive in others. Here’s a look at some of the players who “just do it” in non-Nike apparel.
WEAR THIS!
This grand-slammer is a true-blue Fila client and looks adorable in this two-piece tennis outfit. A great color combination in Fila Center Court Cap Sleeve Tennis Top and Center Court Skort brings out Kim’s fair complexion and the matching accessories are gravy – way to go, Kimmie!
NOT THAT!
Dear Ms. Cibulkova – pastels are not your friend!
WEAR THIS!
This bright orange, sleeveless ensemble and matching white visor by ANTA successfully sported by Shuai Peng embodies the three C’s – cool, comfortable and cute!!
NOT THAT!Dear Ms. Sciavone – Not again! PJs are for sleeping, and capped sleeves should be limited to girls aged twelve and under!
WEAR THIS!
There’s only one word for Jo-Willie in this form-fitting outfit by Adidas – “HOT!”
NOT THAT! And here are two words for this bland “patchwork” design from Joma and matching headband worn by Feliciano Lopez: “NOT HOT!”
WEAR THIS! Is that Jo-Willie’s shirt? This is a great preppy look for Juan Monaco – in “all whites” with just a splash of color, he may just “sail” through this match!
NOT THAT!
Note to Jarkko: You may want to de-emphasize your thin build with a better shirt design and less baggy shorts!
Whether a young kid just starting out or a grand slam-hogging professional – some tennis players just seem to “get it” when it comes to on-court fashion and others just don’t. Most players however, are a work in progress – they will find their own unique style sooner or later!
MISS
