The 2011 WHITE Fashion Scoop

Under the strict rules & regulations of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, the tennis elites were quick to showcase the white masterpieces they prepared for this year's edition. With their creativity being already restricted to this sole colour, the players needed to come up with something really spectacular to steal the show. In recent year, the Williams sisters own the event, both based on their on court performances, as well as their fashion choices. This time around it looks to be no exception with Venus scoring high at the fashion department once again.
Overall, we are witnessing a pretty quiet Wimbledon, no player, except for Mattek Sands and maybe Venus, going overboard. The trend is towards simplicity, especially from Nike who came with a retro collection. Adidas is back at its best with some joyful, fresh pieces. Nevertheless, I somehow miss all the glam and sophistication of previous years when Federer, Sharapova, the Williamses transformed the Centre Court into a genuine catwalk.

Venus Williams - EleVen

'Relight my fire'. Venus is back with a bang. As expected the American saved the best for London where she made headlines with her spectacular jumpsuit. Although the lacy fabric might seem a bit too precious for a tennis court, Venus's outfit landed in the fashion history of the sport as one which will probably open many doors in the future. I find it incredible how well she fulfills her designer potential by putting her brand on the map everytime she steps on the court. As she's always reinventing herself, she is so beneficial for the game and for fashion. I am glad to have her and her tricky style back.

Serena Williams - NIKE

Serena Williams barely escaped being one of the block by wearing this personalized retro cardigan. I am into this kind of sweaters, so I applaude her choice. Plus it's something she never wore in the past.

Julia Goerges - NIKE

Petra Kvitova - NIKE

Julia Goerges and Petra Kvitova also wore the Nike retro collection. Really simple, all white outfits, just some black lines here and there to emphasize some key parts.

Roger Federer - NIKE 'Roger Federer' 

Without his personalized blazers, Federer looks to have lost his aura when he stepped on Center Court. I hope the Swiss Master will turn the tables on his main rivals and recaptures his Wimbledon credentials by claiming a seventh crown.

Maria Sharapova - NIKE 'Maria Sharapova' Group

Maria Sharapova opted for a rather sophisticated London look. Her sheer 'Maria Sharapova' Nike dress had an interesting contruction, the waist being market by a golden encrusted 'corset'.

Victoria Azarenka - NIKE

Na Li - NIKE

Both Victoria Azarenka and French Open champion, Na Li, opted for rather simple Nike attires. However, if Li's garment was dull and did not stand out from the crowd, Azarenka's was pretty cool. It was actually one of my favorite garments at this year's championships. While the Chinese's shaky on court performance saw her exit the tournament in the second round, I hope the Belorussian will be more fortunate. It really is time she takes that ultimate step towards Grand Slam glory.

Kimiko Date-Krumm - AdiPure

Maria Kirilenko - AdiPure

Kimiko Date Krumm and Maria Kirilenko look fresh and cool in these Adidas outfits. While the Russian would look good no matter what she wears, the 40 years old Japanese manages to turn back time, proving tough competition for her younger rivals when it comes to on-court looks also.

Caroline Wozniacki - Adidas by Stella McCartney

'The Queen of Raffles'. World number 1 Caroline Wozniacki insists on bringing her Stella McCartney 'raffles' to the court wearing the white version of the dress she showcased earlier this year at Indian Wells or Roland Garros. Besides not liking it, there is not much more to say.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands - UnderArmour

'Lady Fucking NOT Gaga'. Although she lost in the first round, Bethanie Mattek-Sands made headlines at this year's Wimbledon after teaming up with one of Lady Gaga's designer, Alex Noble. After the disaster she wore at the pre-party, the American showed another monstrosity when she stepped on court. I guess that not everything that is Lady Gaga connected has to be a success. Moreover, not anyone can be Lady Gaga. Some, i.e. Bethanie, can only dream about it though. This is just another example of her sick passion for pushing the fashion boundaries in the most hideous way. I hope she'll take a break soon.

Gael Monfils - K-Swiss

'The Most Athletic of Them All'. I might have said it before, but once more I am a fan of Gael Monfils' K-SWISS attire. The athletic French looks utterly fit in the sleeveless T-shirt and sporty shorts. He is one of the few men players who managed not to look dull at this year's championship.

Jelena Jankovic - ANTA

'One day only'. Jankovic might have opted for a rather decent dress (i.e. for her standards), but by failing in her first round match to Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, she ended her London adventure quicker than expected. No chance to get a second look at her apparel.

The 'Godmother' Aravane Rezai looked like she was about to fulfill her role at a cheap wedding. She was building on the heavy criticism she received for her over the top, hideous outfits, but it appears like success is eluding her. She failed one more both on court and fashion wise.

Nadia Petrova - Ellesse

photos (top-down / left-right):   GETTY IMAGES (x2), EPA;GETTY IMAGES (x21), AP (x2), GETTY IMAGES, MurraySanders, GETTY IMAGES (x7)

The 2011 Spring Fashion Scoop

The Premier events in Indian Wells and Miami provided the perfect opportunity for the hottest women on tour to showcase their latest outfits. There were three major headlines that retained my attention.

Marion Bartoli

Maria Sharapova @ Indian Wells

Maria Sharapova @Miami

First of all, I was shocked to see Maria Sharapova, the ultimate Nike Diva, wearing the same apparel as Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli. The Russian always benefited from special treatment when it came to her on-court look, so this came as a surprise. Maria quickly turned things around though in her next outing in Miami where she wore a nice light blue garment, which contained an exquisite gold detailing in the top part.

Caroline Wozniacki

Secondly, Caroline Wozniacki, the one who ended Kirilenko's reign, showcased the latest Stella McCartney outfit. I saw it before in the new Turkish Airlines commercial, as the Dane was recently chosen to become the new face of their Business Class brand, but I never thought she would ever wear it on court. I really don't get the raffles that resemble the Hawaiian lei. To me, this lacks taste. Furthermore, the overall design seems utterly inappropriate for tennis, plus it just doesn't do her body justice. I am a genuine Adidas by Stella McCartney fan, but this looks likes a fashion faux pas to me.

Aravane Rezai

Thirdly, Aravane Rezai made a long-awaited return to the game. In her short time on court (i.e. she lost in her second round match), she proudly displayed her new outfit, which generated mixed reviews. The positive news is that, luckily, her hideous 'golden' era is now officially behind her. On the other hand, the negatives are that Rezai appears to have deeply fallen in love with this design as she replicates it time and time again. On this instance, she decided to change colours and thus, she replaced the golden lame with pink satin. Although this is strong proof that Aravane's style credentials are forever compromised, at least she's improving. To be honest, there's nothing that can match her grotesque golden dress, so brighter times are ahead of us as far as this player's evolution is concerned. Best of luck and smarter fashion choices!

photos: GETTY IMAGES

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)