Un Scoop de la Mode Parisienne

Every Grand Slam provides a great opportunity to talk not only about tennis, but also about fashion. With the French Open taking place in Paris, la capitale de la mode, everyone is expecting to put on their most sophisticated garments and to look their utmost best when they step onto the court. As we've experienced in past years though, see fashion scoops from 2011 and 2012, not everyone is leaving up to the challenge. 

My top 3 picks from this edition are, in no particular order, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens and Ana Ivanovic. From the men, I liked Tsonga and Federer, but I also appreciated the nice colours showcased by Nadal (i.e. the peachy pink) and Djokovic (i.e. the mint green). The outfits I liked the least were Wozniacki's, Sharapova's and, sadly, Azarenka's, who was just too boring. There were of course some not-so-beautiful disasters, such as Monfils, Kuznetsova or tablecloth looking, Ryan Harrison. In terms of star colours, yellow maintained its supremacy, with orange being the alternative proposed by Nike.

The Ultimate Queen

Serena Williams - NIKE

The undisputed queen of the French Open, Serena Williams looked the part in an edgy grey dress to which she matched orange underpants and accessories. I like the use of the grey as it tones down the otherwise loudly coloured Serena. The look represents another good example of the mature Williams. Although she came a long way from her rebellious days, I really appreciate that she kept her edge, always delivering that trademark Serena style.

Electric Teen

Sloane Stephens - UnderArmour

Sloane Stephens is not only the leading teen of the next generation, she's also the next big tennis fashionista. The American is clearly not afraid of taking risks, or of getting creative with her fashion choices. She is making a powerful statement in this gorgeous electric yellow dress that is perfectly complementing her dark skin tone. Love the turquoise accessories, especially the pleaded head pieces. Sloane makes my top 3 picks from this year's Roland Garros.

Cool, Hip, Trendy, Fun

Ana Ivanovic - AdiZero

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - AdiZero

Ana Ivanovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put Adidas in contention with their unique AdiZero apparel, specially designed for the French Open. I like both pieces, I think they're great. Ana opted for a more sophisticated, more elegant navy dress, while Tsonga kept true to his flamboyant self, looking sharper than ever in this navy-yellow ensemble.

Kristina Mladenovic - AdiZero

Although this dress is a few months old, I wanted to feature it to highlight another promising fashion prospect, teen sensation, Kristina Mladenovic. The Frenchwoman has a certain restless vibe that I resonate with. 

It's Black, It's White, It's Black&White

Laura Robson - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Maria Kirilenko - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Since the merger of the Barricade with the Stella McCartney line in January, fashion icon, Maria Kirilenko, and teen sensation, Laura Robsons, got their chance to shine in designer clothes. Following the great success of their previous apparel, both ladies continue to look stunning, this time in black&white ensembles. Although controversial, I think Stella brings a much needed touch of class to the tour. I might not like all her pieces (remember that horrible raffles dress?!), but overall I am a huge fan.

The Fall of the Dane

Caroline Wozniacki - Adidas by Stella McCartney

Once the joyful queen of women's tennis, Caroline Wozniacki is now miserable trying to recapture the form that took her to the top of the ranking just a few months ago. Benefiting from an exclusive Stella McCartney line, the Dane 'managed' to look doubtful in this confusing dress. To start with, I don't like this shade of blue, but the biggest issue I find is the colour blocking. The use of the beige in the lower front part is odd. I don't get it. It makes the entire look seem unconnected. A total miss from Wozniacki this time.

The Leading Gentlemen

Rafael Nadal - Nike

Rafael Nadal might be the best clay-court player in history, but he's not always the best dressed man. This time, he made a wise choice though, matching a peachy pink pair of shorts to a dusty grey T-shirt. I like the combo, it is cool and fresh.

Roger Federer - NIKE RF Group

Roger Federer stepped out of his comfort zone, opting for something other than a polo T-shirt. Although his outfit is not as loud as in previous years, see 2011 or 2012, I actually love the light violet of the T-shirt matched with the really small touches of neon green and the navy pants. Although he went slightly hipper than usual, the Swiss retained his class.

Grigor Dimitrov - NIKE

Sharapova's new boy toy, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, should give his girlfriend some style lessons. Grigor showcased a clean look that is perfect for his age. The young generation should be all about having fun, being hip and wearing cool clothes. The T-shirt is the show stopper.

Novak Djokovic - UNIQLO

I am not a fan of Novak's style, nor I am a fan of his Asian sponsor, but I did like the nice green mint of his 2013 French Open apparel. The colour looked really well in contrast to the dark red of the Parisian clay.

Improved JJ

Jelena Jankovic - Fila

I am the first one to comment on Jelena's doubtful fashion style, but this time the Serbian surprised me by wearing a really cool Fila garment. The navy dress is both classy and hip, plus I really appreciated the layering at the bottom that reveals the pink underskirt. Well done, JJ!

Boooring!

Victoria Azarenka - NIKE

Maria Sharapova - NIKE 'Maria Sharapova' Group

Although they are among the best female athletes of the planet, both Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova looked dull and uninspired in their Roland Garros garments. While for Sharapova this is an ongoing trend that sees her top the worst dressed list on a regular basis, Vika is actually one of my favourite fashionistas, the Belorussian usually putting together edgy, hip and extremely cool looks, e.g. the 2012 AO attire. However, while her dress is just boring, in the Russian's case, things are far worse. This cut is not working on her body. Maria looks fat and her big shoulders are emphasized in an unflattering manner. Maria, please go back to your former days of glory!

The Pink Panther

Venus Williams - EleVen

On a rather chilly day, the American had to dress up, so I think it is just unfortunate that Venus Williams got to look like the Pink Panther at this year's French Open. Although the result was not memorable, it made me want to see more. I was dying to check out her new EleVen look, but sadly she lost in the first round. I look forward to a great rebound at Wimbledon.

Oh Mon Dieux, Les Faux Pas

I might be accused of being biased when it comes to the big names, but none of the lesser known brands got to showcase at least some decent looks. Starting with Monfils' multi-coloured, ill-matched Asisc garments, continuing with Berdyc's blank H&M pieces and finishing with Kuznetsova's horrific experiment, all these guys are worthy occupants of the worst dressed list. To add to this, American Ryan Harrison decided to wear his tablecloth as pants. Smart move, Ryan!

Gael Monfils - Asics

Tomas Berdych - H&M

Ryan Harrison - NIKE

Svetlana Kuznetsova - Qiaodan

David Ferrer - Lotto

Although he got to shine brightly at this year's French Open, David Ferrer failed to look the part. Beaten by his good friend in his first Grand Slam final, the Spaniard suffered another blow when he ended up on the worst dressed list due to his ugly neon green T-shirt from Lotto. Horrible colour, you should know better David!

Bethanie Mattek-Sands - Unknown

Are you familiar the curious case of Bethanie Mattek-Sands? Well, let me reiterate. You take one fashionista-wannabe, you let her go wild with the fashion picks and what you get is a crazy-looking tennis player, a Lady Gaga of the tennis courts, a fashion case gonna terribly wrong, or better said, Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The hopeless American did it again, wearing several mis-matched tops, as well as her signature high socks.

photos: GETTY IMAGES