The players at the 2026 U.S. Open once again turned the iconic New York City tennis tournament into a fashion show that kept the crowds buzzing throughout the competition’s 22 days.
Naomi Osaka stunned the bustling crowd of Arthur Ashe Stadium with her billowing white skirt, sleeveless white sweatshirt, and all-white basketball-inspired outfit during her first-round appearance. Osaka is no stranger to eye-catching tennis outfits. Since 2020, the Grand Slam Champion has made a fashion statement at every tournament she plays in. Over the years, she has worked with celebrity stylist Law Roach to design her high-fashion court entrance looks and on-court athletic kits. Her bold choices reflect an emerging trend in tennis: players on both the women’s and men’s tours are collaborating on their tournament outfits to let their personal styles shine on the court.
Nike sponsors a slew of tennis professionals, including Carlos Alcaraz, the world’s No. 2-ranked player. At this year’s U.S. Open, Alcaraz appeared in his first-round match wearing a brown and white ombré, retro-inspired basketball jersey and shorts created in collaboration with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack label. While the kit was custom-made for Alcaraz, the sleeveless top proved less than ideal, as he had multiple wardrobe malfunctions during his first match. In his second-round match, Alcaraz opted to wear a tighter tank top underneath the original jersey to prevent further “nip slips.”
Carlos and Naomi’s outfits this year were one-of-a-kind, as most brands opt to design a single color palette and two to three styles for their players. Adidas, which sponsors the most tennis players, curated a more subdued and delicate color palette of a shiny maroon and dusty pink. Most of its male players wore the same maroon shorts with light pink T-shirts. The female players had a bit more variety: some wore all-maroon tennis dresses, while others paired maroon tennis skirts that puffed around the edges with light pink tank tops. Overall, Adidas’ outfits lacked diversity and creativity, and many spectators at this year’s Open expressed frustration at seeing the same outfits on multiple players.
The Canadian brand Lululemon sponsors relatively few tennis players, but the few players it does sponsor stood out at this year’s tournament in head-to-toe neon pink. Frances Tiafoe, an American tennis player sponsored by Lululemon, could be spotted playing in a neon pink T-shirt and shorts with dark gray accents. Tiafoe completed his look with borderline visually assaulting bright pink shoes and socks that made him easy to recognize.
As in previous years, the U.S. Open creates space for maximum creativity among players and brands in the tennis world. The freedom brands and players have to experiment with their tournament outfits makes the competition that much more special for spectators around the world.