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Marketing and Sponsorship

Nike Pushing New Line Of Vibrant Apparel At Australian Open, Touting Competitive Edge

Nike's "huge troupe of performers" at the Australian Open is outfitted in apparel "designed to make an 'unapologetic visual statement' and give wearers a competitive advantage via 'disruptive patterns,'" according to Liam Mannix of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The collection, "apparently inspired by Melbourne's laneway street art," features various shades "of eyecatching -- or eyewatering, or eyemelting colour." Australian player Nick Kyrgios in his first-round match "managed to look as though his whole lower half had been dipped in glow-in-the-dark paint." Fellow Australian Bernard Tomic "sported a shirt that combined green, pink, and a pattern reminiscent of those Magic Eye eye-puzzles that, if stared at for long enough, reveal a hidden picture." But another Aussie, Thanasi Kokkinakis, "really stole the show, pairing fluoro green and pink with a fantastic pair of forearm sweatbands." Nike is "using the tournament to advertise the new range." A company spokesperson said that its design team "visited Melbourne a year ago to begin work on the palette for this year's tennis range, where they became enamoured with street art as the perfect symbol of the city" (SMH.com.au, 1/20). Roger Federer discussed his brighter-than-usual apparel following his first-round win against Lu Yen-Hsun and said, "I think it’s about changing it up a bit. I played in these colors much more often when I was younger. I was really in the mood to do it again. As we look at the next year and a half with Nike, sometimes it’s hard to get it done right away. I’m excited about the colors. It’s a bit of change and more pop right now" ("Australian Open,” ESPN2, 1/19).

PAINT IT WHITE: While Nike's bright clothing has drawn headlines during the opening days of the year's first Grand Slam event, not every player is going down the same route. Fila-sponsored Sam Querrey wore a predominently white outfit for his first-round loss against Vasek Pospisil, prompting ESPN's Patrick McEnroe to say, "Querrey apparently has violated the Australian Open rule which demands he wear a day-glo color. He’s paying the fine for wearing the all whites here. It must be a rule because everybody is wearing it” (“Australian Open,” ESPN2, 1/20).

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