Destanee Aiava reached the second round for the first time since making her debut at Melbourne Park in 2017; she wore

Every year, clothing companies bend over backward to make everything old new again. New Australian tennis standout Destanee Aiava (WTA No. 165) simply logs on to eBay and picks up whatever classic look she fancies. Since the beginning of the Australian Open, Aiava has been using the Melbourne courts as her “fashion runway,” literally sporting the now vintage dresses made famous by the star players of the past, such as Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and even Caroline Wozniacki.

While sporting the same sky blue adidas x Stella McCartney dress worn by Wozniacki at the 2013 US Open — which Aiava had bought in Facebook for $35 the night before — Aiava was trailing 3-5 in the third set to Belgian journeywoman, Greet Minnen (WTA No. 91), and surged back at midnight to take the first round match. “Now that I’ve actually qualified, it does feel so much better to actually earn my way in,” she said of her play.

“I just loved what they wore," Aiava said of Sharapova, Ivanovic and Serena Williams. “… some of the stuff that is being designed is quite ugly. I just like to wear what I think looks good. I don't like wearing the same thing as everyone else.” Despite seeking a sponsorship deal with a sportswear brand (Golden Age of Tennis?), Aiava is enjoying not having to “put up with wearing the same thing as other people.”Earlier in qualifying, the world number 195 wore the same light pink Nike dress that Sharapova wore to the 2012 US Open semi-finals.

Ostapenko wears her Latvian brand DK ONE after former sponsorships with Adidas for clothing and Nike shoes.

Years past have seen Nike and Fila reboots, players jumping in and creating their own clothing (DK One by Jelena Ostapenko; Rublo by Andrey Rublev), and in 2024 a deluge of non-traditional tennis brands getting into the biz (FP Movement and Saudi Brand Kayanee). But most players agree with Aiava (even if they haven’t said): they don’t want to look a patch-work version of someone else. The courts in Melbourne have so far showcased just as many new brands as players who have just decided to change their look, with the big two (Nike and Adidas) losing out to smaller outfitters.

Alexei Popyrin for Psycho Bunny

While the Montreal-based Psycho Bunny’s skull-and-bones-bunny has actually been laughing at alligators and polo ponies for 20 years, Tennis Canada popularized it last fall by suiting its Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup teams, in addition to staff at the Montreal and Toronto tournaments. Like Ajla Tomljanović to the Penguin, however, Australian Alexei Popyrin (ATP No. 25) has pledged allegiance to the rabbit, showing off his black kit with neon piping and unmissable logo. “It’s impossible to escape Psycho Bunny. Their magnetic logo and energy made it a brand I always kept my eye on,” Popyrin told the fashion press. Made exclusively for Popyrin — and no one else — the clothing will nonetheless inspire the clothier’s Bold Moves collection. Popyrin lost in the first round of the Open, stricken by a glute injury.

Frances Tiafoe will advance to the second round of the 2025 Australian Open after a five-set win in his Lululemon “Passionate Pink” kit.

Frances Tiafoe for Lululemon

In one of the surprising, but characteristically bold moves, Frances Tiafoe (ATP No. 16) swapped his consistently colorful Nike gear for the yoga stalwart, Lululemon. The Big Foe debuted the sportswear label’s “Passionate Pink” kit on court during his first round five-setter in Melbourne: a matching fuchsia T-shirt and shorts, with a windbreaker emblazoned with the words “DMV made”—a reference to his home regions of Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia — to match. The son of Sierra Leonean immigrants, who typically pack a lot of color and patterns in their clothing, Tiafoe feels heard by his new brand. “I got to give a lot of input into my look which feels very me and shows off my style,” he said. Big Foe is into the second round.

Hady Habib made history for his country at the Australian Open and fashion history for the nascent brand Quiet Please.

Hady Habib for Quiet Please

Hady Habib (ATP No. 216) made history at the Australian Open this week by becoming the first Lebanonese player to win a singles match in a Grand Slam. The 26-year-old also made fashion history by becoming the first player of any sort to been seen in the tennis label Quiet Please. Too cool even for its own website, Quiet Please — signified by its monkey eating a banana logo — likes to position itself as the “joie de vivre” of tennis fashion. The brand boasts not only the previously contrasting “urban street style, tennis performance, and eco-friendly” in the same sentence, but also positions itself as “cheeky” and reverent. What does Habib have to say about it? “This is probably one of the best days of my career, honestly,” Habib told reporters after the match. “It’s such an incredible feeling to get this win. Not only for myself but for Lebanon and Lebanese tennis.”

While other women on the tour made their various fashion moves away from Nike, England’s No. 1 woman Katie Boulter (WTA No. 25) stuck with the athletic gear god.

Other Switches to Make Fans Look Twice:

Most English people try to shun (publicly, at least) French anything. But Cameron Norrie (ATP No. 48) has dumped the K-Swiss classic look to Babolat, made famous for strings and grip. Norrie’s name became more well-known after he threw his racquet at a fan after losing in the first round.

Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi (ATP No. 38) has joined the group of Italian top players to go local, dropping Le Coq Sportif for EA7, Giorgio Armani’s sportswear offshoot. Arnaldi came up short in four sets against countryman Lorenzo Musetti (ATP No. 15), newly clad in Asics.

Anna Kalinskaya (WTA No. 16) hitting and other partner of Jannick Sinner (ATP No. 1), traded in her Adidas for his Nike, following a 2024 stint with Alo Yoga. She withdrew before the start of the Open, however.

Lastly, Danielle Collins (WTA No. 11) joined her American compatriot and title holder Sofia Kenin (WTA No. , at Free People’s sportswear brand, FP Movement. Kenin (WTA No. 74) was kicked to the curb by Coco Gauff (WTA No. 3) in her New Balance ode to Marvel superheroism.

Rally: All Things Racquet (Demo Above)

Rally, conceived of and designed by two long-time players is both a booking interface on Kickstarter and an AI-powered concierge that:

1. Allows players to find, book and pay for both public and private pickle, Padel and tennis courts around the world with the tap of a phone
2. Gives users choice among surfaces, dates, locations and times to play their favorite racquet sports
3. Permits private clubs to sell their unused court time on the main app and gives them a bespoke white-label booking app for their members
4. Matches players with coaches to help them increase their business at public/private courts, and
5. Provides easy access to peer-to-peer hitting, as well as sessions with professional “sparring partners,” stringing, equipment purchasing and all things tennis, padel and pickleball.

For now, players can check out plans for the app on the Rally website — with free access to some of the best tips and tricks for your game.