The Spectacle Of Tennis

Those who say tennis is boring surely haven't met Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Having her on court, tennis ceases to be just a sport where you, as a spectator, are supposed to follow the ball from one side of the net to the other. Thanks to players like her, you aren't in just for a dull tennis battle, but for a total show. Before her matches, the question that is on everyone's lips is not 'who's gonna win it?' (as in most cases it  certainly won't be Mattek-Sands), but 'what is she gonna wear?'. Unfortunately though, her matches are hardly broadcast on TV. Bethanie only plays one, maximum two matches at a tournament, as she usually loses in the first rounds. Thus, besides the Slams, the chances of benefiting from this spectacle are kinda limited.
Following on Monroe's advice, Mattek-Sands perfectly impersonates the saying "it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring". No one can accuse her of being shallow or unimaginative on court. Quite the opposite, as she lets her creativity go wild. For her there's no such thing as 'too much'. Although she receives heavy criticism, her unique style seemed to have worked in her favour thus far. She's been around for quite some years now. However, the only time people mention her is when they are referring to her outrageous outfits. Until now she didn't prove much as a tennis player. She lost three finals, but  she's made  more headlines than players backed up by a steady career. It's all due to her showmanship persona. This seems to be her way of emerging in the limelight. There's a downside to dressing up as a clown and making this huge fuzz though: sadly for her, it cannot substitute tennis accomplishments.
Fashion's liaison with this sport is getting stronger by the day. The Williams siblings and Maria Sharapova are already designing their own lines. Caroline Wozniacki replaced Maria Kirilenko as the new  image of Adidas by Stelly McCartney. These are all examples of players who push fashion forward by destroying boundaries. With Mattek-Sands though, things are just infamously  wrong. OK, I can grasp the leggings which she stole from Serena (she was the first to showcase them at Roland Garros 2002) and have now become her trademark, but her striped T-shirt emphasized by a warrior's make-up, the crazy cowboy outfits, or the golden lamé dress exceed by far the horizons of style. If, for example, the Williams sisters can get away with their fashion faux pas from time to time, Bethanie isn't that lucky. If she continues on this path, she risks creating a legacy for herself of being this silly character wearing goofy clothes.
Unfortunately, the string of girls who dress for success (not!!!) doesn't end here. Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai is just another player who's fashion sense is questionable to say the least. After appalling us with her own version of the golden  lamé dress, even her common sense can be argued. That piece was just monstrously hideous. And it wasn't just a one-night stand. She grew so fond of the dress that she wore it all season long. Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing her in anything else. Maybe it's the only outfit given to her by her sponsor, who knows. A distinction is impetuous though. Compared to Mattek-Sands, Rezai possesses some winner's attitude, the best proof being her wins over Justine Henin, Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams while conquering the premier title in Madrid.

@ Roland Garros 2009

@ US Open 2009

@ Miami 2010

@ Roland Garros 2010

@ Birmingham 2010

At the end of the day though, these players spice up the tennis world. The spectators are entertained as the their clownishness creates quite a display. They can be classified as some guilty pleasures as even their worst critics are delighted by watching these girls taking themselves so seriously. Some really envision themselves as genuine fashionistas. Reality is tough and humans are cruel, but even so, girls I think you'd be better off by sticking to tennis. The fashion industry is not really the place where Alice in Wonderland meets Cinderella and become instant BFFs. Therefore, focus on improving your game and instead of wasting time picking your outfits, train harder and attest your value.

photos (top-down / left-right): Tennis.com (x4), ?, VN/ aruna, ? (x3), GETTY IMAGES (x12)