How’d they do it?Bloomberg Businessweekposted a lengthy story last week on how Sergio Tacchini, the Italian brand that is now controlled by Chinese investors, saved itself — from itself. Their biggest move? Nabbing Novak Djokovic, of course. But our favorite part of the feature was this snippet on player-turned-fashionista Martina Hingis, who had a sour relationship with the company:
Hingis dominated the women’s tour during the second half of the ’90s. She seemed to fit well into the Tacchini firmament, appealing to wealthy, casually athletic, European-oriented fans. It didn’t work out. Three years into Hingis’s five-year deal, worth $5.6 million, Tacchini fired her, accusing Hingis of not wearing the clothes as contracted. Two years later, Hingis sued, claiming that the “defective” Tacchini shoes she wore had wrecked her feet and ruined her career. (Hingis had surgery in 2001 and 2002 to repair ligaments in her ankles.) A New York court dismissed the suit, ruling that the case should be heard in Milan, where Hingis had signed the contract and where another suit was pending. In 2006 her manager, Mario Widmer, told a German newspaper that “the Tacchini problem is resolved. We have come to a compromise and at the same time have agreed to keep silence on both sides.”
More from those financial folk: While Businessweek was focused on Sergio, The Economist‘s new “Game Theory” blog is paying plenty of attention to tennis. Why now? Andy Murray.
We’re a little biased, but… designer fashion at super marked-down pricers all in the name of a good cause?! We dig that, Housing Works. The New York-based non-profit is putting on its annual Fashion for Action sale starting Nov. 16 (which is sooner than you think!). NYers:Get your tix here.
That you, Princess B? Yes that’s Princess Beatrice. Yes, she needs to wax her mustache. Whatevs, it’s Halloween! What a fierce lady.
Look. Listen. Watch. Yes, we get the Siri craze. But a Scottish accent and a cute face. We’ll repeat anything he says, too. | TSF Vault: Short Balls
Short(er) balls: Want to have dinner with Roger Federer? Tennis Channel and Lindt, the chocolate company, are all about setting you up. You have til Tuesday, folks. | USA Today contributor Doug Robson goes searching for the best racket on the market and finds it. | Back in Newport next year? That’d be defending champ John Isner, who has committed to the grass court event. | Nike and Tennis Warehouse launch an exclusive partner shoe on Tuesday. 0:37 of anticipation! (We love this ad.)
(screengrabs via businessweek, housing works and time.com respectively. beatrice photo by getty. tennis warehouse video)
Free-swingin’: Top seed Novak Djokovic is still in the running for the 2011 U.S. Open — he faces Roger Federer in the semis — and he’s going through the draw in surprisingly plain gear from Sergio Tacchini. (Did they peak too early?)
Recycling: The orange piping from his spring hardcourt run — one of our fave looks for the year — returns along with some white stripes to decorate his navy blue evening kit; the day polo gets navy piping. Of note is the single-panel, all-mesh construction under the sleeves that continues seamlessly down the side of the shirt — a result of careful ergonomic studies into how Novak moves his shoulder. Everyone’s worried about that part of his body, eh?
Nole switched to his French Open kit during the warm-up tourneys leading to the year’s second major, so no need to rehash (here it is, in case ya need a refresher). So instead, here’s a few looks at his practice gear.
BTW: Nole has dropped only one set (to del Potro) in his run to the semis, which included a retirement from Victor Hanescu and a walkover against Fognini (who injured himself in that marathon vs. Montanes). Djokovic will play Roger Federer tomorrow.
Too much red! Aside from this olive green tee, a Stepanek-esque polo/shirt ensemble after the cut…
Novak Djokovic switched to a new Sergio Tacchini uniform as he hit the clay in Rome earlier this month. We thought that it’d be hard for him to top that black/orange kit — we consider that the best of that season, btw — but this current Serbia-inspired design is playful but not too juniors. From what we can tell, a coat of arms appears on the front lower-left corner of the polo and of course “Nole” printed on the back. The mass-market version has his initials where the coat of arms would be.
Rolling through Roland Garros: Nole’s still undefeated this year, having beaten Thiemo de Bakker and Victor Hanescu (ret) in the opening rounds of the French. He will face 25th seed Juan Martin del Potro in the third round. Draw: RG Men’s Singles.
Browse: Polo (“Nuell”), crewnecks (“Nur”), and warm-ups (“Nettuno”) from this collection available at Tennis Express.
We also hadn’t posted a pic of the “night” colorway (in black). Here’s a few looks of both versions after the cut…
The Serbian flag served as inspiration for the latest Sergio Tacchini kit on Novak Djokovic. The red, white, blue, and yellow are reworked into a rainbow-esque version of the Tacchini stripe. It’ll also appear in a black colorway for night matches.
Keepin’ on: Djokovic’s winning streak is still alive at the kit’s debut in Rome’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia. He beat Lukasz Kubot 6-0, 6-3 in the opening round. Up next is a match against Wawrinka with a potential quarterfinal against Soderling. (Draw: Rome Men’s Singles)
(match photos by the wandering lens of Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images)
Nole‘s winning streak is now at 30, the latest being his opening round at the Mutua Madrid Open against Kevin Anderson. We’re not really seeing any threats in his quarter (or even half) of the draw this week. What do you think? (Draw: Mutua Madrid Open Men’s Singles)
Romania’s Adrian Ungur has made it through to the second round of this week’s Serbia Open by beating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first round (and qualifying for a spot in the main draw). Unfortunately, that’s probably where it’ll end; he faces Novak Djokovic in the hometown hero’s opening match tonight.
Tattoo watch: Ungur told TSF (by way of the Serbia Open media folks) that the hip tat you see peeking out of his shorts means “respect” and “honor” in Chinese. Open season: And he also revealed that he has four more: a star on his hand; the initials of his wife; a bracelet on his upper right arm; and an old Georgian saying on his arm. Let the photo hunting begin!
Serious business: Gone are the wings and the dragon motifs that started Novak Djokovic‘s partnership with Sergio Tacchini. They’re instead relying on a combination of piping, color blocking, and textures (with matching shoes) to create a more sophisticated look for the current world No. 2.
Miami: After defeating Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-1 in the semis of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Nole awaits the winner of the match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. In head-to-head stats, Nole’s up 3-0 against Roger (with wins in Melbourne, Dubai, and Indian Wells) and 1-0 against Rafa (Indian Wells). As we’d said before, we’re banking on Djokovic remaining undefeated at least through the rest of this tournament. (SEO Draw: See how the event has unfolded.)
No Aravanes were hurt in the making of these clothes: Even with Aravane Rezai out early at the Sony Ericsson Open — the 20th seed got upset by Peng Shuai in her opener — golden fashion lived on via Maria (Nike); in that flattering Sergio Tacchini dress on Dinara Safina; in the simple details of Radek Stepanek‘s normally eccentric clothes from Alea; and on Marcel Granollers‘ crew, by Joma.
TSF was heartbroken to find out that Dmitry Tursunov wasn’t going to play at Indian Wells and Miami this year. Tournaments just aren’t the same without his pastiness hanging out in the practice courts (exhibits A and B). So as we felt the withdrawal kick in during our first days in the desert, this man saved the day.
Ridic.
Anyway, Igor Andreev made it as far as the second round at this week’s Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, where he lost to John Isner 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (2). But that’s okay, Igor: winning isn’t why we keep you on our radar.
The tennis:Roger and Rafa play their quarterfinal matches today (vs. Simon and Berdych, respectively). The winner in that top half of the draw will play the winner of the Fish/Djokovic semi. We expect Nole to take this whole thing. Who’s your pick for the winner? (Browse: SEO Draws)
And in case you’re interested in seeing Igor clothed, some pics of his current Sergio Tacchini kit below.
(practice image by TSF; match images via Getty Images)
While it can’t be argued that Novak Djokovic has upped Sergio Tacchini‘s profile a few notches (uhm, anyone who can do this to their moneymaker is a moneymaker), we’d like to point out what the other STers are doing their part to get the brand some airtime.
You say “Christmas,” I say “Gucci”: Belgium’s Olivier Rochus wore a white polo with green and red stripes as he weathered the collective sigh of tennis fans around the world — at the PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok a few weeks ago, the munchkin took out Juan Martin del Potro in the Argentinian’s first match since the 2010 Australian Open. (Both Rochus and Hanescu wore this kit for the US Open.) (more…)
Novak Djokovic won the Beijing Open this past week, beating David Ferrer in straight sets to defend his singles title. He’s also the third man to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London. (Super curious to see what Nole pose they’re using as a stencil. Maybe this?)
We hadn’t had a chance to mention how much we love his current kit from Sergio Tacchini. The dragon imagery’s all over — from the hat, to the polo, to the shorts — but not overwhelming. The graphic itself doesn’t look junior-high in its tattoo-esque aesthetic. And that night outfit, in navy and red, was the perfect combination of colors to wear under the lights in Flushing Meadows (think back to Roger‘s “Darth Federer”).
Even his camp because part of the buzz at the Open. Dad Srdjan wore the airbrushed Nole shirt while watching his son play. That falcon’s a symbol which Nole has used throughout the years, first in his short-lived collection with adidas, which then transferred over to the Tacchini drop this year (photo).
There’s also the “Novache” shirt, seen here on one of Nole’s team as he hit with Andy Murray before making his Arthur Ashe Kids Day appearance on the Sunday before the Open. Djokovic’s mom wore this tee for her son’s matches.
Buy: Merch Polo, $74.99; Crew, $67.99; Shorts, $49.99; Novache Tee, $25.00; polo, crew, shorts available in black/white or navy/red; all at TW.
Draw: With two titles in 2010 under his belt (the other one being Dubai), Nole goes into this week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters as the tournament’s second seed. In his opening match, he’ll face the winner of the first-rounder between Ivan Ljubicic and wildcard Zhang Ze. (Draw:Singles.)
More: See some other pictures of Nole’s kit — including the warm-up jacket, his wristbands, hat, the “Nole” printed on the back of his polo — all after the cut…
Alright, Novak, we get it. Just because we gave Santiago Giraldo some air time doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about you, so you don’t need to try and win us back. We must admit it’s tough; now that we’ve been relegated to third fiddle (after your gf Jelena and now that shadow over Ashe), sometimes we have to get our fix somewhere else.
xoxoxo,
TSF
p.s. It’s smoggy over there in Beijing, so we hope the extra rest you get from that Fish walkover (hope your ankle recovers well, Mardy!) gives you a leg up in your quarterfinal against Gilles Simon. Pro: Simon had a tough three-setter against Berrer. Con: he’s probably more tennis-focused now that he’s had a chance to meet his newborn son. (Brackets: China Open Draws)
Sergio Tacchini‘s getting ready to launch an online store plastered with Nole Djokovic all over. They’ve provided four photos as a teaser for the Fall/Winter 2010 collection.
Draw: At the 2010 US Open, Nole’s still in the running to match his 2007 finals appearance but will need a Hail Mary to do so. His semifinal opponent, Roger Federer, has taken him out at this tournament in the last three years. On Djokovic’s side, perhaps, is the fact that he hasn’t dropped a set since going five against Troicki in the first round. Nole’s other opponents: Monfils (QF), Fish (R16), Blake (3r), and Petzschner (2r). See the men’s singles draw here.
The boisterous crowd who came to cheer the Croatian Davis Cuppers at the Spaladium Arena in Split could not boost their home team past the more experienced Serbian posse at this weekend’s Davis Cup quarterfinal tie. The decisive 4-1 rout puts the team of Djokovic, Tipsarevic, Troicki, and Zimonjic in the semifinals — a first for their country in Davis Cup history. (Scoreline:Tie details)
Still, props to Marin Cilic for wearing his checkered Fila tee and notching the one “W” for Croatia (the second singles rubber, against Troicki). The lanky 21-year-old was gracious in his post-match presser, picking Nole and his team to the take the Cup this year.
The Serbs — pampered in their digs — showed up in a variety of kits all showcasing their country’s colors. Nole picked a solid red polo from Sergio Tacchini while Nenad opted for a more playful version in Lacoste. Troicki sprinkled some blue in his Los tee while Janko and his bangs stayed safe with Fila. On the Croatian side, Ljubicic and Dodig‘s Li Ning kits were both as uninspired as their play.
Too bad we can’t say the same about Nole‘s Tacchini clothes.
The Serb, seeded third at this year’s Wimbledon, dropped a set against Lleyton Hewitt before booking his place in the quarters, where he’ll play the winner of the Lu/Roddick match. (Speaking of, Roddick lost the second and third set in tiebreaks… yikes.)
Draw: See how the final eight are shaping up here.
Tathiana Garbin is the main mascot for Sergio Tacchini now that Flavia Pennetta has switched over to adidas.
Say that ten times fast: At the 2010 Australian Open, Garbin wore both a tank top and a polo for competitive play; the pieces both have some bold detailing (a pleated placket for the polo; pleated vents for the tank).
And at this week’s Open GDF Suez in Paris, Garbin’s switched to a white polo with more classic construction (but also with a brighter — teal — color). She lost in the quarterfinals to former STer Pennetta 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Flavia will be facing Lucie Safarova (wha??) in the semis.
More: A few looks at Garbin’s Sergio Tacchini after the cut…
Igor Andreev got the distinction of being Roger Federer‘s opening round opponent at the 2010 Australian Open. He even took away a set from the top seed before falling 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (2), 0-6.
And more notable is the Russian’s switch from wearing Under Armour, where we got full view of his wares, to the more classic polos of Sergio Tacchini (replacing Tommy Robredo, who’s now with Los).
Thankfully, Igor’s wearing a polo in a size that’s proportional to his body. And he leaves all but one button undone (are you taking notes, Andy Roddick?).
Andreev’s duties at the Aussie Open aren’t done, though. Now he gets to play the supportive bf while Maria Kirilenko plays in a quarterfinal match against Zheng Jie.
Novak Djokovic may be one of the hottest players on court headed into the season-ending championships this week in London, but the big news splash the Serb made over the last few days was his switch from clothing company adidas to Italian line Sergio Tacchini.
Current Tacchiniers include Flavia Pennetta, Tommy Robredo, Sara Errani, Ivo Karlovic, Steve Darcis and Victor Hanescu. Djokovic is by far the highest profile player to wear the line since John McEnroe and Pete Sampras sported the threads early in their careers. Martina Hingis wore Tacchini shoes and then sued the company for foot problems during her first “retirement”.
So what do you think? Are you excited to see Nole in ST?! Will you miss the snazzy colors of adidas on tennis’ brightest male personality? What do you think this means for Nole’s career? Let us know below.
Tommy Robredo fell to compatriot Rafa Nadal in the third round of the Shanghai ATP Masters in straight sets (6-1, 6-4).
Nadal’s been getting some flack for that green Nike polo he’s been sporting through his run in Asia, but no one can complain about Tommy’s classic look.
The two-time 2009 titleist (Copa Telmex in Argentina, Brasil Open) wearing a the Young line from Sergio Tacchini — the same design that John McEnroe made famous back in the day. And of course he accessorized the outfit with a white-banded TW Steel watch.
Draw: Up next for Rafa is Ivan Ljubicic, who won after Gael Monfils hopped on the Shanghai injury train because of a bad back (Murray, Roddick, del Potro, Haas, Acasuso, and Zverev are already on board). See the draw here.
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