Tennis player Rafael Nadal today during his first round win at the Australian Open was “decked out in a pink fluorescent tennis shirt and a neon yellow wristband" from Nike that matched his shoes, according to Jocelyn Gecker of the AP. Following his straight-set win over Mikhail Youzhny, the on-court reporter discussed Nadal's attire, saying, “I don't think many men could pull off this pink reflector." The commentator drew “stadium-wide laughter as he pointed out the neon pink stripe down the side of Nadal's white shorts.” Nadal “joined the laughter, saying these were his ‘party’ shorts for the past couple of months.” Nadal: "I just like bright colors. Australia is a happy country, a sports country. People here bring me positive energy, so it's the right place to wear that.” Meanwhile, Gecker notes it was "hard to say what was more fearless" about Thanasi Kokkinakis today -- his "inspired play against 11th-seeded Ernests Gulbis or his hot pink and neon yellow outfit." The Nike clothing "conjured images of Andre Agassi's flashier ensembles." Kokkinakis, who upset Gulbis in five sets, admitted that the clothes were "out there." He said that Nike "picked it out especially for him." Kokkinakis: "They were like, we only give this to a few. If you're up for it, wear it. I wore the stripes last year, but that was nothing compared to what I wore this year'' (AP, 1/19).
BEGINNING TO BLEND IN SOME? TENNIS.com's Ed McGrogan notes clothes are "sometimes louder than the fans at Melbourne Park, with apparel manufacturers opting for bright colors and vibrant patterns to announce the start of the tennis season." That might be one reason why Bethanie Mattek-Sands, "she of the knee-high socks, exposed sports bra, tattoos, and a cap conservative only in relation to her pink locks of hair that flow from it, didn’t seem to stand out on Day 1." McGrogan: "Her highlighter-yellow shirt was fairly tame compared to some of Nike’s funky men’s wares" (TENNIS.com, 1/19).
WHO WEARS SHORT SHORTS? ESPN’s Brad Gilbert said of players’ attire at the Australian Open, “You know what’s made a comeback so far this year on the mens’ tour? Short shorts. Berdych’s got them. Rafa’s got them today” ("Australian Open," ESPN2, 1/19). YAHOO SPORTS CANADA's Stephanie Myles noted Nadal and Roger Federer wore shorter shorts while practicing last week and wrote, "Tennis players these days have quads that defy description. Perhaps the guys have finally figured out that with all the hours they spend in the gym building them up, it was a complete waste to just hide them under Samprasian shorts" (CA.SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/15).
