Top Female Players Unveil New Outfits For Australian Open

Wozniacki's dress is from Stella McCartney

The “most beautiful women of tennis are about to descend for the Australian Open with bags packed full of attention-grabbing outfits sure to win, even if they don't,” according to Kathleen Cuthbertson of the Melbourne HERALD SUN. Tennis “fashion hard-hitters Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki will all unveil new, specially designed outfits at the Open.” Sharapova next week will “show off her Nike outfit, which features a boomerang style back piece as an Australian reference,” while No. 1-ranked Wozniacki will “wear a high-waisted dancer style dress from adidas's Stella McCartney range." Wozniacki's "adidas stable-mate Ana Ivanovic will wear a bright purple and green outfit.” Fila will “celebrate 100 years by dressing Kim Clijsters in a recreation of a green outfit once worn by Evonne Goolagong,” and Australia native Sam Stosur will “wear a new outfit from Lacoste.” Australian Open spokesperson Prue Ryan said, "The glamour girls, they're the ones that are top of the mind with the public, they know the power of a good dress." Ryan added of Venus Williams, “She wore her Moulin Rouge outfit at the French Open, so we will really be looking forward to seeing what she comes out with" (HERALDSUN.com, 1/10).

NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR: TENNIS.com’s Richard Pagliaro noted Wozniacki will “start the new year in new gear, sporting an adidas ballerina dress in immaculate white with a playful pop of orange in the Seamless Performance bra and hot pant.” The new clothes are “part of an off-season makeover.” Designed by McCartney, the white Ten Performance Dress is a part of adidas’ Stella McCartney SS 11 collection and “represents a color departure for Wozniacki, who wore a dark green McCartney design with optic yellow hot pant” at the ‘10 U.S. Open. The white Ten Performance dress “is not part of the adidas by Stella McCartney line sold in the U.S., but it will be available globally” (TENNIS.com, 1/10).

MARKETERS’ HEAVEN: In Sydney, Janice Breen Burns writes “during Melbourne's tennis season a swarm of fashion and luxury brand marketers crank up campaigns for clothing, jewellery and accessories ahead of the appearance of their celebrity 'models' on Rod Laver Arena's catwalks-cum-courts.” No. 1-ranked men's player Rafael Nadal will wear a “high-tech watch, thin as a chip,” made by Richard Mille that took “months to handcraft" and retails at nearly US$500,000. Mille said that there are “already 200 'quite wealthy' customers on a waiting list for a limited edition of the high-tech, light-as-air, laboriously crafted 20-gram timepieces.” Meanwhile, Sharapova will wear “18-carat gold and diamond drop earrings by architect Frank Gehry." Tiffany & Co. is “bracing itself for the queue at its Collins Street shop when Sharapova fans see hers and want a pair for the snack-size price” of US$4,030 (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 1/13).

CAN’T TOUCH THIS: In Melbourne Ben McKelvey writes none of the women seeded ahead of Sharapova in the Australian Open "have much chance of earning more” than her this year. Short of “something exceptional happening, Sharapova will top the money list among female athletes in all sports thanks in part to her tennis ability but also to her marketability.” Advertisers have been “drawn to her striking physical appearance for the better part of a decade, while corporations have longed to align themselves with that spring's-first-warmth smile reserved for moments of great jubilation.” Forbes estimated that Sharapova last year “earned more than” $24M, less than $700,000 of which came prize money (Melbourne AGE, 1/13).