Over at Styleist, we point out a few U.S. Open fashion notables to the casual tennis fan: the neon Polo Ralph Lauren ballperson polos; Sharapova‘s Head bag (it’s true: we can’t stop raving about it); Galina Voskoboeva‘s ruffled dress from Ellesse (trust: it wouldn’t have made this list had it been worn by Nadia); Lacoste‘s color blocking for both men and women; and adidas‘ men’s adiZero line — all those triangle patterns are to die for!
What do you think? Was there something else we should have mentioned?
Read: “U.S. Open Tennis Fashions: What You Don’t See On TV,” styleist.com.
Fashion (un)focus: For the curious, the greys and blacks of Maria Sharapova‘s night outfit is complemented by a navy blue cover-up. The same neon green in the straps of her dress trims the placket and the collar of the jacket.
And we’ll say it again: that Sharapova Head racquet bag is the bag that we’ve all been waiting to buy. Partly by virtue of not being obnoxious with visual branding, but mostly because it’s sleek and sexy as an accessory. (We can’t wait for a harder men’s version to come out.)
Battling away: Maria, the third seed, just won the first set in her U.S. Open second round singles match, against Anastasiya Yakimova. The winner of this match faces Flavia Pennetta; they share the same half of the draw as second seed Vera Zvonareva. (Draw:Women’s Singles)
Pardon the glare: One of NYC’s premiere sports shops, Paragon, is all decked out for the Open — Union Square style. In their maze of a store, the tennis sway is right when you walk in the front door off of Broadway. What they still have? There’s a couple of those oh-so-beautiful HEADracquet bags from Murray’s Wimbledon (sans the fan notes) ready for pick up. And from what we’ve heard, they’ve been a hot item and will be virtually impossible to find once they sell out.
Imitation time: Somehow, Novak Djokovic‘s imitations just haven’t gotten old. The new world no. 1 obviously has a creative side and loves to be goofy, and we appreciate the new medium used for his latest acting gig: playing Maria Sharapova. Nole is well versed in his Maria-dom, but here he takes on Sharapova’s ad for HEAD‘s YouTek Instinct racquet and sort of nails it. More to come for the Open? We wouldn’t be surprised.
The future Christina? How cute is this little aspiring tennis-playing gal? She joined some 200 kids from the New Haven area for a USTA 10 & Under tennis clinic, where American Christina McHale helped the youngsters with their form. Swinging Head racquets donated by First Niagra, the kids were treated to an afternoon of tennis and face painting (see below) at the “First Niagra Block Party.” The block party was held to help, in part, promote the New Haven Open at Yale, formerly the Pilot Pen. Set for the week before the U.S. Open, this final lead-up tournament will go from a men’s and women’s event to solely a WTA event as the men’s event has headed south to Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The 19-year-old McHale, ranked no. 67, received a wild card into New Haven. The tournament already has commitments from world no. 1 and defending champ Caroline Wozniacki, along with former French Open champs Svetlana Kuznetsova and Francesca Schiavone and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Check out the full player list here.
More great images from the New Haven Open’s Block Party after the cut.
Move over, Nole! When is Andy Murray making his way to Hollywood? The quiet and often awkward is plain brilliant in a hilarious new video from HEAD, in which the world’s no. 4 promotes his racket-maker with a Facebook-friendly spot. In the vid, Murray’s at home, on court, in bed and in the shower (authentically in the buff, as far as we can tell). The schtick? HEAD is pushing fans to their Facebook page, asking them to write personalized comments to Murray. Murray will choose his faves to slap on his HEAD bag for the Championships, a move that we sort of dig. Oh look there’s Andy walking onto Centre Court — wait! I WROTE THAT. You know, it could happen to you. But first, you must “Like” HEAD (and watch the vid).
To catch more of Andy’s (pretty awesome) acting, check out the vid after the jump. (more…)
Bonus: Remember that vid that daredevil Novak Djokovic shot a couple of weeks ago for HEAD? Well we grabbed a couple more screen shots from the racquet co because they’re just that good. Can Nole wear that hat on the court sometime? We dig the chin strap.
Oh let the awkward moments ring! David and I might be good friends, but don’t let that fool you into thinking we’ve got this podcast thing down pat. All the better for the listener though, no? This week, David and I were all chatty about what Nole’s recent run (flight?!) to the top means. Our opinion? Not much. Though it could, if he carries it over to the clay season. We also took turns weighing into this week’s Sunday Survey question on just what will happen to those two ladies named Williams. And doubles? Good exposure week for the game, but David smells a conspiracy brewing. (And I’m just tan.) Click above! | TSF Vault: Podcasts
Yep, Nole‘s already soaring high after that win over Rafa Nadal at yesterday’s men’s final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. That three-setter — 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 — puts him at 18-0 so far this year; at No. 2 in the world (taking over for Roger); and puts him in that elite company of guys who’ve been both Rafa and Roger in the same tournament twice (the other two: Nalbandian and Kolya).
…Which made it the perfect time to release this video that he hinted at last week, the one of him recreating that image of two folks playing tennis on a plane. We’re still not quite sure if Nole actually got air time (while strapped in, of course), but we wouldn’t put it past him.
Watch: Click on that image above to watch the video.
Aside from actively tweeting and coachingIvanovic, one of Novak Djokovic‘s newest projects is rolling out a campaign with his racquet sponsor, Head, to promote a… well, we’re not sure what it is yet. Some of Head’s past videos havebeenprettygood, so we’ll go ahead and bite: “NOVAK WANTS TO PLAY ON THE WINGS OF A PLANE? WHAAAAT?”
The next installment drops March 21. We’re staying tuned.
Remember the Wilson BLX Blade that we spotted in the city back in September? It’s still been on our mind. The series of Six.One Blades that Wilson has put out have been high quality as a pack, and we’re giving thumbs up to most of the collection. The racquet has a “classic Wilson feel,” which means that you get pin-point accuracy and a good connection with the ball, especially if you want to hit consistently from the baseline. Below the Six.One Tour BLX. And how can you not dig the tan-colored grip on this baby? Classic, indeed. Buy it: on TennisWarehouse for $199.
If you want a racquet with a little bit of a different feel from the Wilson but still the same results, we’re digging Yonex’s EZONE, with a 100-inch head and a 27-inch length. Big-hitters like Monica Seles have favorited these racquets for a simple back-swing and a frame that the ball bounces off of. Buy at TennisExpress for (also) $199.
Agassi unplugged: This Andre Agassi video from HEAD touts the former pro’s tennis superpowers — filmed with no special effects.
We here at TSF are soooooooooooooooo over trick shot videos (thanks for nothing, Roger Federer!), but since we’re having a glass-half-full kind of day, we give HEAD props for thinking this one out. Andre’s video is set in a serene, quiet court — reflective of his current mellow elder statesman persona — and has him hitting net posts with a ball struck from all over a tennis stadium. (BTW, he’s hitting with the YouTek Six Star racquet.)
Meanwhile, Andy Murray‘s piece, which came out earlier this year, had the Scot roaming the streets of London while performing goofy tennis tricks. Muzz is always so serious (esp. at press conferences), so it’s nice to see that grill once in a while. (Video: Murray’s Street Magic)
TSF is introducing a new series of posts that we’re calling “spotted in the city”. These posts will be full of the random stuff that your TSF editors come across in the daily world of New York and Los Angeles. From shoe sightings on the street to storefronts to a tennis celeb on the pavement, we’re ready with our low-quality cell phone cameras to capture tennis fashion off the courts. See something you think might work for the series? Snap a pic and send us a note! The best part is you don’t have to be in NYC or LA… or any city for that matter! Tennis fashion is happening all over the place, and we always love to hear from our readers. -NM
We spotted this vintage HEAD tennis racquet and cover at a Housing Works Thrift Shop in SoHo a few weeks ago. The thing was going for $6. The strings were intact and the grip felt good. We’re a little disappointed we didn’t swipe it for leisure play with friends this fall! Remember: another HEAD sighting in SoHo, earlier this year. (Full disclosure: I work for Housing Works, Inc.)
The back wall at the Boast party this past week in NoHo was covered in stylish, old-school photos aplenty. The re-launch party – cleverly tagged “Back in play” – was at the art space 40 Great Jones.
A model holds court (or street) outside the Boast party in NoHo. She was sipping on a Southside cocktail – oh so delicious!
Dunlop‘s unwrapped the bandages after a recent facelift of their website, which had been out of commission for a few months starting around Indian Wells time. It’s the usual fare for companies like this: player/product info, press releases, etc. There’s a page of wallpapers on there, too. Sadly, they went with some so-so photos of the usually photogenic Jurgen Melzer, Tommy Robredo, and Ross Hutchins.
And speaking of Dunlop, their most recently acquired mascot, Kolya Davydenko, still appears on rival Prince‘s roster of players. And another one of Dunlop’s sponsorship issues was covered by CNBC’s Darren Rovell, who discussed 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych‘s racquet ruckus, using Head sticks even though he’s paid to play with Dunlops.
A few months ago, my co-worker walked into the bookstore sporting a HEAD t-shirt, vintage style. Needless to say I dug her digs, and the small HEAD logo on the side of the tee caught my eye right away. The tee itself was purchased at Beacon’s Closet, one of my favorite New York second-hand stores, located in Williamsburg (and Park Slope). It also brought to mind the ’80s Tennis Fashion web site that we all at TSF hold dear to our hearts. A couple more shots of the HEAD wear after the cut!
The entire British population is hoping that Andy Murray can bring the kind of magic to Wimbledon that video editors brought to his new, catchy ad for Head.
The nearly-two-minute spot has a sort of Powerade-impossible feel to it, as Murray saunters through the streets of (what seems to be) London and performs trick after trick with racket and ball. Could this thing go viral? A day after I found the link, it gained 9,000 views online. Kudos to the folks at Head, who need to re-think the entry page to their web site using the same brain that made this video, which – no surprise – is on the jump page inside the site.
The World Cup has seemingly captured the world’s attention, though some folks quite disagree with that fact. As Ben Bergman writes on NPR, he’s flat out bored with the soccer, and thinks most of America is, as well. Several sports journalists that TSF follows on Twitter have mentioned how few goals have been scored in this year’s Cup thus far (9 scoreless halves, to note). Maybe that’ll up the chances for folks to turn the tube to another sporting event on grass next week, no? Just in case you’re still interested, the Village Voice has a hilarious guide on how to pretend to know what you’re talking about while watching the world’s game played out in bars across the country. Brush up on your futbol facts!
Prince’s apparel (and footwear) digital catalogue is out, and while we’re not necessarily sure what to think of what’s inside, we do dig the looks of Alina Jidkova and Kveta Peschke. The girls are lookin’ good in ‘P’!
See our favorite new Chinese trend and speed read what has been happening in the two-week sandwich known as the “grass court season”. (more…)
The folks at HEAD are wasting no time milking the newest member of their stable, Novak Djokovic, for some Q-rating padding. They have chosen Nole as the main vehicle for a new racquet technology named Speed. (Nevermind that they’ve already had Andy Murray and Marat Safin, right?)
The deets of the stick were hush-hush until Djokovic played with them at the Australian Open (pics), and HEAD moves onto the next step of their campaign with “Speed Lessons by Novak Djokovic”.
You can think of the site, found at speedlessons.com, as a cross between Teen Girl Squad and Palin as President — a mix of animated shorts and other mini-gags (including mouseovers voiced by Djokovic himself).
Look out for a total of six flash-based “tennis lessons”, released about once a week. Much like the hammy Serbian, these shorts should be taken with a grain of salt. Watch ’em and you’ll know what we mean.
Mousing over the landing page induces a few cute sound bites (e.g., “With a two-handed backhand, you won’t have a free hand for a remote control.”). The folks we talked to at HEAD said that Nole had a good time recording the voiceovers for the site.
And finally, users can take a three-question quiz, after which they can enter to win one of ten Speed racquets autographed by Djokovic.
The global campaign, conceived by an Austrian agency, will culminate with the racquet’s retail launch in late April or May.
HEAD wanted something “new, fresh, and online based because that’s what everybody is,” said a company rep. They’ve included links for Facebook, del.icio.us, Technorati, and Google to help spread the word.
Scoreline: Djokovic, who retired in the heat against Andy Roddick during the Aussie Open quarterfinals, bounces back after a two-week break to reach the quarters (vs. Mischa Zverev) in this week’s Open 13 in Marseille. Nole hasn’t been looking his best, but has yet to drop a set in two rounds.
From designer Damian O’Sullivan, after Agassi‘s last match at the 2006 U.S. Open: “This weekend Andre Agassi played his last game of professional tennis, bowing out as he did against the 11 year younger Benjamin Becker. Three years ago, [I] designed a tennis racket for HEAD Sport AG bearing Agassi’s face on the blade of the racket. Although the tennis racket was never produced we would hereby like to show it one more time as a last tribute to the great man of tennis.” (MoCo Loco)
Another Damien: The pickled shark by artist Damien Hirst, entitled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, heads to the Met later this summer. Owner Steve Cohen, who bought the piece for $8 million, has arranged for it to stay at the museum for at least two years. (FYI: the original shark started disintegrating almost immediately after its initial exhibition in 1999; the replacement should stay intact much longer.) (NYT)
The company wants to move away from its “technology-driven” image and more towards an athletic one: “outrageous, spontaneous and adventurous”. The new logo is thicker and orange. Here are the tennis-related ads … Read the rest of this entry…
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Tennis Served Fresh covers fashion, style, media and culture surrounding the worlds of tennis and sport. (more)
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