Blues on the terre battue: Showcasing spring Parisian fashions

Had the tennis season not been hit by the coronavirus outbreak, this would’ve been one of the busiest times of the year, with the French Open in full swing in Paris. Even though the clay-court Grand Slam has been postponed because of the pandemic, players are taking the courts for the first time in weeks with the gradual resumption of tennis in brand new gear that would’ve been launched at Roland Garros in this period. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog highlights the latest 2020 collections.

World No.5 Elina Svitolina pairs a casual-looking graphic tank with a layered pleated skirt. The Ukrainian’s Nike Summer Sleeveless Top features a drawing of a tennis player hitting a backhand volley on a clay court. What’s special about the design are pleats on the shoulders that create an illusion of pulled-up sleeves.

The Nike Summer Slam Skirt creates a flirty effect with multi-tier, asymmetrical pleats and a combination of horizontal and vertical stripes. Exposed elastic waistband and built-in shorts provide added comfort and coverage. 

Here we can see Svitolina wearing the Air Zoom Zero model in the color crimson. Also available in this colorway are the Air Zoom Vapor X, Air Zoom Vapor X Knit, and Air Zoom Vapor Cage 4.

Petra Kvitova is all smiles showing off her new Nike Summer Paris Dress and Nike Summer Paris Jacket. “What I like most about my outfit is the color for sure. I love blue,” said the two-time Wimbledon champion.

Striped fabric infuses this dress with a punch of Parisian street style. Racerback with cutout design adds breathability to this lightweight piece, while mesh at the neckline provides increased ventilation in this high-heat area.

Even without the French Open, the 30-year-old Kvitova had a chance to debut the dress at the May 26th-28th Czech Tennis President’s Cup and she went all the way to the title at the three-day event in Prague featuring a field of eight Czech WTA players. The World No.12 completed the look with Nike Air Zoom Vapor X Platinum/Grey tennis shoe.

While Maria Sharapova is well into her retirement, but her Nike line continues to live on. The new Nike Summer Maria Paris Dress brings sophistication and elegance to the courts, a tennis version of high fashion that we associate with Paris.

The dark blue lace is blended with breathable mesh, while a thick black sateen waistband adds an evening wear vibe.

Since the dress must be super comfortable to allow players to perform at the highest level, the fabric is stretchy and breathable, while the cutout back panel vents out extra heat.

Adidas is putting an effort to end plastic pollution by making top-performance tennis clothes from recycled waste intercepted from beaches and coastal communities. The featured piece from the new collection is the adidas Prime Blue Dress, an all-in-one piece that comes with an integrated bra, attached inner shorties and a separate mesh top which can convert this dress from a tank to a short-sleeve design. 

Generous use of camo-patterned mesh is what first catches the eye, while orange Y-back tank straps provide a pop of color to the all-black look.

Even without Roland Garros, we saw the dress on Kristina Mladenovic, during the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro in April.

The collection also offers the adidas Prime Blue Camo Tank with a huge V cutout and printed elastic strap on the back.

Tops from the Prime Blue collection can be mixed and matched with two skirt styles: the Camo Skirt and the Pleat Skirt.

During the clay-court season, Venus Williams was supposed to wear the Geometric collection by her own EleVen brand.

In this promotional photo from EleVen by Venus SS2020 Lookbook, we can see the American wearing the Challenge Dress that features geometrically-printed side panels.

New Balance’s apparel for this summer includes the Relentless Mesh Tank that mixes mesh jacquard and knit jersey fabric in a marine blue, navy and white color-blocked design. The top can be combined with the striped Summer Print Rally Skirt.

Lacoste and Roland Garros released a new tennis collection dominated by white and light blue tones. Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit is presenting an ombre asymmetrical pleated dress called Lacoste Spring RG Dress.

The quick-drying design features a racerback cut with mesh lining, opening at lower back and built-in bra. The elegant pleated skirt is unique for its asymmetrical cut at bottom hem.

Blue looks great against the red French Open clay, so Asics also opted for that color. Julia Goerges would have worn this Asics Summer Elite Tank and Asics Summer Elite Skirt this fortnight in Paris.

The racerback tank features mesh fabric at back and under arms, plus strategically mapped mesh at front. The German’s shoe model is Solution Speed FF.

Even though the WTA schedule has been disrupted due to the COVID-19 outbreak, tennis is reviving at least on a local level and sportswear companies are making sure that players are geared up with fresh outfits.