The best tennis brands circle in and out of the fashion conversation with Federer-like grace. For decades, the two disciplines have been loosely intertwined. On the pro circuit, players like Nick Kyrgios and Serena Williams have pushed the boundaries of the on-court uniform, accruing fines and prompting dress code upheavals in the process. Off the court, tennis gear has never been hotter: Kith’s ongoing link-up with Wilson continues to sell out; Loewe’s collaboration with On put American racquet prodigy Ben Shelton front and center; and Challengers—with a little help from Zendaya, Jonathan Anderson, and two particularly sweaty Rodent Men—catalyzed a run on short shorts that has yet to abate.
Fashion’s love affair with jeu de paume isn’t unrequited. In 2024, there’s a growing appreciation for the comfort, ease, and unmitigated swagger of old-school tennis gear—a marked shift away from the anodyne mesh stuff you’re apt to find at country club pro shops. A couple of years ago, the team behind Rowing Blazers introduced Arthur Ashe, a new line of preppy, tennis-adjacent clothing that pays homage to its namesake’s legendary ‘70s-era style.
Tennis’s legacy acts have finally cottoned onto the treasure trove of mood board inspiration in their archives. Nike just brought back John McEnroe’s 30-year-old Attack shoe—and followed it by re-releasing Andre Agassi’s cult-loved Air Tech Challenge 2. Even Prince and Wilson have gotten in on the action, collaborating with a who’s who of indie menswear favorites. Sure, you can still buy a pair of swishy poly-blend shorts or a sweat-wicking nylon polo, but given the opportunity, wouldn’t you rather suit up like Richie Tenenbaum or cop a graphic tee inspired by Matisse?
If your answer to that question was an emphatic, unequivocal YES, you’re in the right place. Below are the tennis brands pushing the sport to stylish new frontiers, from born-again household names to next-gen upstarts. Clear a little closet space, snag a Honey Deuce, and hop on the closest train to Flushing: the game just got a heckuva lot more exciting.
In This Guide
The Legacy Stalwarts
Alright lads, we weren’t going to leave here without a Fred Perry moment. Founded by the three-time Wimbledon winner, the eponymous label was born on the court, but soon found prominence in England’s streetwear circles—the laurel-wreath logo has been adopted by the Mods and Britpop enthusiasts, including Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.
If you’ve been anywhere near tennis, you’ve been near Wilson. Roger Federer’s preferred racket company does more than make winning gear — they’ve also been stepping up their style game in a big way over the past few years. The mainline apparel is now strong (see the Professionals Cardigan) but their biggest move has been an ongoing collaboration with NYC’s Kith, dropping instant-grail apparel and equipment since 2021. The latest edition is no longer available, but like we said, the main line is solid.
Let’s be clear: The Lacoste polo is the single most influential piece of tennis lifestyle clothing. The alligator logo is an icon of the sport, and while you may not be seeing as many popped collars as you did during Ye’s Graduation years, the French pique pros have never slowed down. They sponsor one of the all-time greats, Novak Djokovic, but are experimenting all the time with playful reworks of their classic block polo.
Diadora
With nearly 80 years of sportswear knowledge under its belt, Diadora is a brand that deserves more recognition for its high-performing sportswear. Based out of Italy, the brand mainly focuses on running shoes, but it’s since branched out to every other sport to serve up premium fits and superior fabrics. Gabagool? More like gaba-good.
A.P.C.
Can a fashion brand make good athleticwear? Surely on its own, A.P.C. could’ve excelled in the fitness space, but it tapped the good, fit folks at Asics on a stylish and sporty collection of court-ready pieces from polos to shorts to jackets. Bringing in more technical fabrics to the French brand’s existing repertoire for refined silhouettes and fits, the line looks just as good mid-backhand as it does aprés-tennis.
The Performance Obsessives
Another Vancouver-based brand we’d recommend for wearing on the court is Reigning Champ. If you’ve ever shopped around for fitness gear, you probably have heard of it, but you may not have seen just how sick their tennis gear is yet. The standout is its Solotex line, which blends the best of hand feel, sweat management, and excellent fit to make some of the finest apparel you’ve ever worn on the court (or off it). The quiet designs are easy to mix and match with other brands, too. No logo clashing here.
Lululemon has become a constant in our sporting lives, whether it’s its gear for yoga, running, gym workouts, the golf course, or, yes, tennis. Its lightweight polos and shorts perform great whether you’re playing on hard courts, grass, or clay but they’re also easy to feel good about buying because of their immense utility off the courts—and how well they hold up in a wash. Premium technical materials don’t always seamlessly transition to regular life, but Lululemon makes it look easy.
OK, one more Roger-adjacent mention. (If you work with the GOAT, you have to be on the list, right?) Everyone knows Uniqlo for its menswear basics, but it’s also a sneaky good place for fitness gear. As with all things Uniqlo, you get garments with a modern fit, immense style, and a price point that is easy on the wallet.
The shoe dogs over at Nike aren’t going anywhere. The Swoosh makes some of the best tennis shoes in the game, outfitting pros like Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal, and Frances Tiafoe, just to name a few. Where the brand equally shines, though, is with its heritage apparel. If you had an entire archive of 1970s and ’80s tennis classics to play with, wouldn’t you re-release it also?
It’s hard to even think of tennis these days without thinking of On. The Swiss brand made an initial splash by linking with the greatest tennis player of all time, Roger Federer, to develop some tennis-specific shoes and apparel that fit in nicely alongside their running gear. But when Federer retired, On doubled down, signing two of the most exciting talents in tennis, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and up-and-coming American Ben Shelton, firmly planting their logo on the sport’s future. Their gear has leveled up too—just look at the blurry wash on those tennis shorts.
The Upstart Cool Kids
The Copenhagen menswear scene is truly delivering these days, so it’s no surprise that the city has also produced one of tennis’ most playful, stylish young brands. Blending tailoring and athletic wear, but with a sense of humor mostly found in streetwear, Palmes has quickly found itself on every menswear guy’s moodboard, whether through their collaboration with the How Long Gone podcast or theretro tennis shoe remaster with the Italian sportswear legends at Diadora.
The Southern Californian desert and tennis just make sense together. Situated just outside of SoCal’s Anza Borrego State Park, The Courts Anza-Borrego is not only a grail-level tennis destination but now also a merch mecca worthy of your attention. Blissfully shipped nationwide, their merch includes the aforementioned Matisse homage, plus a bunch of other graphics that will add some charm to your tennis (and off-court) wardrobe.
Some of our absolute favorite style pieces in the tennis world are from Jacques NYC. Pairing prepster classics with modern tailoring and performance, the brand lives in a sporty corner of the quiet luxury boom. It’s hyper-focused on natural materials like merino wool and wood-based renewables, which means not only are you keeping that pesky carbon footprint down, but you’re investing in pieces that will feel amazing on your skin and stand up over time.
A newer label from the mind of Jack Carlson and the Rowing Blazers team, Arthur Ashe pays homage to one of the most important figures to ever grace the tennis court. Preppy pique polos, paisley shorts, and sweater vests lead the collection, while performance mesh shorts and other on-court pieces add some technical flair to the brand’s lineup. Also, for you vintage heads out there: Rowing Blazers often drops its own Arthur Ashe-inspired vintage finds that go way hard.
