Australian Open: How much cult potential does Alexander Zverev's pants have?
Alexander Zverev will play his second-round match at the Australian Open 2022 against John Millman on Wednesday (live from around 10:30 a.m. on Eurosport, in Austria on Servus TV and in our live ticker). The Olympic champion from Tokyo also knows how to impress in terms of fashion these days.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 18, 2022, 04:16 pm
Great victories combined with unforgettable clothes? Not that easy. Older tennis fans might cite the iconic FILA shirt that Björn Borg wore to win at Wimbledon. Andre Agassi could (and had to, from Nike's point of view) wear everything when he was young. In connection with successful performances, the one in Australia that is most likely to be remembered is that when Agassi gave the tennis pirates.
Roger Federer has already walked in long pants at Wimbledon (without actually playing in them), Rafael Nadal has made the sleeveless shirt socially acceptable.
The closest connection between an outfit and a very specific tournament (victory) probably dates back to 2015: Stan Wawrinka competed at the French Open with pants from his outfitter Yonex, which initially aroused associations with pajamas - and after the success in the final became a cult against Novak Djokovic.
Zverev is not an isolated case
And so to Alexander Zverev, who has been playing in Adidas clothes for several years. According to the latest tennis science, Zverev is one of the two big favorites to win the Australian Open 2022, alongside Daniil Medvedev. As is well known, it would be Zverev's first success in a major. Which could also remain associated with a very specific outfit. Because the pants that Zverev wore in his opening victory against Daniel Altmaier were characterized by a high recognition value. In combination with the white shirt, the trousers also came into their own.
However: While Stan Wawrinka was the only one of his kind in Roland Garros almost seven years ago, some of Zverev's brand colleagues are appearing in Melbourne Park these days. And so the concise pattern of Zverev's trousers was also seen on Félix Auger-Aliassime's t-shirt (in combination with white trousers).
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Incidentally, Liam Broady has made great efforts in terms of fashion. The Brit walked in against Nick Kyrgios in a striking outfit by Bidi Badu (rainbow laces included!). Wawrinka, however, has shown that a cult includes not only clothing but also success. Which also brings us back to Stan Wawrinka: He won his first major in Melbourne in 2014. In pants that were generally considered to be within the expected range.
Here is the individual tableau of the Australian Open 2022
laver arena