Sabalenka brushed off the haters: “Who cares about people?”

World number one Arina Sabalenka is not going to apologize for the controversial Nike mesh suit she wore to the US Open — even if half the Internet calls it “the worst outfit of the tour”.

Orange grid against all tennis

On Friday, August 28, at the US Open media day, journalists could not resist asking the reigning champion of the tournament about the equipment that she first showed on Instagram on July 30. We're talking about a black and orange set: a translucent mesh top in the style of a basketball jersey over a bright orange sports bra and shorts of the same color. Sabalenka wore it on the Arthur Ashe Arena court paired with Novak Djokovic in the mixed doubles — a match, by the way, they lost to Katerina Sinyakova and Henry Patten.

The 28-year-old Belarusian does not hesitate to respond to criticism: “I like almost everything in my outfit. I like that he is unusual, that he is brave. Whatever people write on the Internet, to be honest, it’s even funny to me.”

Basketball, surfing and ballet — Nike concept

Sabalenka explained the logic of the brand herself: this season, Nike decided to use the players’ uniforms for the sport associated with the country where the tournament was held. At the Australian Open — surfing, at Roland Garros — ballet, at Wimbledon — cricket. For New York, the choice fell on basketball — hence the jersey silhouette. “Isn’t it a perfect combination?” — the tennis player asked rhetorically.

It sounds logical, but it was this “basketball net” that became the main irritant for the fans. On social networks, the outfit was dubbed a “fishing net”, which outstripped even last year’s yellow dress in terms of dislike, and with much harsher epithets — even to the point of comparisons with street fashion of a not-so-decent kind. The combination with Sabalenka’s massive jewelry also went well, which, according to part of the audience, completed the look to the point of being “clown-like.” However, there were also defenders: someone appreciated the boldness of the choice and called the critics too conservative.

Deja vu: This is not the first time Sabalenka is being discussed not for tennis

For those who have been following the tournament for several years, the situation is familiar. Sabalenka has become the heroine of fashion scandals before — remember, for example, the criticism of her winning dances after matches at Roland Garros this spring. The tennis player herself admits: it is simply impossible to please the public. “When Nike made a simple, standard uniform, they complained. When I’ve made something truly bold and interesting, they complain too,” she states. According to her logic, the audience’s reaction is no longer connected in any way with the design itself, but works as a conditioned reflex to any new form.

A similar story regularly happens to other stars of the tour: a few years ago, Serena Williams’s jumpsuit at Roland Garros, which the tournament organizers considered too revealing for the dress code, caused a heated debate. The industry has long understood: a scandal around a uniform is an almost guaranteed viral reach for a brand, and Nike, apparently, is quite consciously exploiting this mechanic.

Osaka is also not lagging behind

While some are arguing about the Sabalenka draw, Naomi Osaka is organizing a separate fashion show at the US Open. On August 25, the Japanese woman stepped out in a flowing orange strapless miniskirt, then in a brown dress with intricate draping and butterfly heels, and on August 27 she surprised with a neon turquoise dress paired with matching fur mules. The tennis player’s mother, Tamaki Osaka, was not far behind: she appeared on the podium during her daughter’s training in a bright red mini-dress, long black gloves, scarlet lipstick and limited edition Air Max Plus sneakers with Swarovski crystals.

What does this mean for the industry

For marketers, such stories are almost a teaching case: any discussion, even negative, increases the reach of the brand and the tournament on social networks many times more than neutral reviews. Sabalenka seems to understand this no worse than the Nike PR people — it’s not for nothing that she herself admits that bold images make for “great photographs.” And for the players, such hype has long become part of the public image no less than the results on the court: while part of the audience is discussing the form, the other is watching how the world’s first racket defends his last year’s title in New York.

Sources:
yardbarker.com
sportskeeda.com
foxnews.com

Xrust Sabalenka shaved off the haters: “Who cares about people?”