Zendaya’s steamy Challengers film has sparked a “tenniscore” fashion boom.
The 27-year-old actress is on the big screen playing tennis coach Tashi Duncan, who gets caught up in a love triangle with her tennis-playing partner and ex, and has been promoting the movie by wearing a string of sports-themed outfits at its red carpet showings — including a pair of high heels that featured tennis balls impaled on their spikes and a party dress patterned with rackets.
Second-hand fashion resale app Depop has now reported searches for tennis skirts and polo shirts are up 52 per cent and 53 per cent respectively.
“You watch the rugby or football through the winter, and it’s pouring with rain. Tennis is always in these amazing locations. There’s a bit of inherent glamour to it,” Stuart Brumfitt, the editor of tennis-style magazine Bagel, told The Guardian the sport’s summer circuit is key to its fashion boom.
Robert J. Lake, the author of A Social History of Tennis in Britain, also told the newspaper its association with wealth and celebrity also helps it become a fashion trendsetter off the court.
“People tend to look to the rich and famous for new trends,” he added.
Interest in tennis fashion is also set to be bolstered by Apple TV’s new series “Apples Never Fall,” based on a Liane Moriarty novel about a tennis family empire.
Fashion labels including Miu Miu and Celine have recently explored tennis style.
Tennis star Emma Raducanu is also a Dior ambassador, while Jannik Sinner, the highest-ranked Italian player in history, works with Gucci.
Carlos Alcaraz, the 2023 Wimbledon men’s champion, features in ads for Louis Vuitton.
“There’s a critical mass of young players on the tour who are bolder and express their personal style on and off the court — Coco Gauff, Ben Shelton as well as Sinner,” said Daniel-Yaw Miller, who writes for The Business of Fashion magazine.
