NikeCourt Kits
NikeCourt’s Spring Advantage collection debuted during the BNP Paribas Open in the first half of the Sunshine Swing on the ATP and WTA tours. While the kits marked a shift away from monochromatic approaches plaguing men’s tennis kits, the women’s kits relied heavily on past color block fits, lacking innovative designs.
Filipino tennis player Alexandra Eala wears NikeCourt’s Spring Advantage collection in red as she waves to the crowd after finishing her match at the Miami Open, a WTA Masters 1000 tournament held in Miami Florida. Photo available via IG @tntsports. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Nike has always been at the forefront of expressive style on the tennis court. From Serena Williams’ one shoulder black tutu designed by Virgil Abloh for Nike to Naomi Osaka’s custom green kit with a ruffled skirt and matching bow designed by Yoon Ahn, Nike knows how to make a statement on court. When it comes to custom fits, Nike’s creative vision is second to none. Yet, that same creativity doesn’t always transition to Nike’s tennis gear, such as NikeCourt’s general tennis kits.
This year’s Sunshine Swing on the tennis tour was the second major apparel drop of the year after the Australian Open, where NikeCourt’s aim to blend monochrome fits with minimalist style was fruitful. The brand chose a different route for the Sunshine Swing in the Spring Advantage collection, opting for the bolder aesthetic that the brand is celebrated for on court that debuted at the BNP Paribas Open with mixed results.
The men’s kit was a significant upgrade from the Australian Open collection, steering towards a performance-driven design with elements pulled from both Palm Springs, California and Miami, Florida, where both Masters 1000 tournaments are played in the Sunshine Swing. The men’s kit featured two color palettes: an ombre of red and an ombre in blue. NikeCourt’s red kit was reminiscent of the vibrant reds and oranges of a fading California desert sunset, the shirt’s subtle gradient pattern fading from a dark red at the shoulders to a softer orange across the chest to a pale cream at the hem.
Carlos Alcaraz plays in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in NikeCourt’s Spring Advantage red kit in Palm Springs California. Jack Draper and Holger Rune both wear NikeCourt’s Spring Advantage blue kit during the BNP Paribas Open final. Photo available via IG @carlitosalcarazz and @bnpparibasopen. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz opted for the general-release performance kit in red, stunning on the court in a fit that totaled $155, according to Sports Illustrated. The sleek, clean silhouette and crisp tailoring emphasized the kit’s breathability, with additional design elements elevated along the shoulders to allow players extra mobility and drive.
NikeCourt’s blue kit, while debuting at the BNP Paribas Open, echoed the ocean waves rolling along the seashore at Miami Beach, where the second leg of the Sunshine Swing is played. The kit’s design was characterized by the same gradient effect as the red, fading from dark blue to light blue to white in a visual representation of the dark blue waters of the sea fading to the soft seafoam crashing against the sand. Both British No. 1 Jack Draper and Danish player Holger Rune wore the kit when they faced off at the BNP Paribas Open final, marking a point of contention amongst fans who had trouble telling the two apart on court.
While the men’s kits were a fresh alternative from the monochromatic Australian Open kits, the women’s kits were more or less the same, albeit in a different style. Nike went with solid color tops, skirts, and shirts for the women’s kits in varying shades of reds, blues, and oranges. Most of the women chose to mix and match kit colors, such as 17-year-old BNP Paribas Open champion Mira Andreeva, who wore a bright orange NikeCourt tank top with a dark blue tennis skirt, and British tennis player Emma Raducanu, who paired a light blue tank with a bright red tennis skirt. Others chose to wear their own ombre in a play off the men’s kit, styling the lighter colored shirt over the darker colored skirt.
The mixed match of colors was a breath of fresh air amidst the otherwise predictable kits. Naomi Osaka’s monochromatic bright neon yellow kit might be the only exception to that. The kit was a take on her 2025 Australian Open fit, keeping the neon theme with a toned down version of the ruffled skirt. Osaka’s kit was paired with a custom version of the unreleased Nike Zoom GP Challenge tennis shoes. Her pair is decorated with yellow and white embroidered koi fish along the front with the quote “Return unto others twice as hard as they serve unto you" branded on the inside.
Mira Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka face off in the BNP Paribas Open final in various shades of NikeCourt’s Spring Advantage collection. Qinwen Zheng plays at the BNP Paribas Open in Palm Springs, California wearing NikeCourt’s Spring Advantage tank and ruffled skirt. Naomi Osaka plays at the Miami Open in Miami Florida in a custom Nike kit in neon yellow. Photo available via IG @bnpparibasopen, @zhengqinwen_tennis, and @daznwsports. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Despite the disappointing lack of design, the women’s kits more than made up for it with the variety of styles offered. The traditional tennis tank and straight tennis skirt is joined by a crew neck tennis tee, a long sleeve quarter zip, athletic shorts, and a ruffled tennis skirt. The diversity in styles is a marked difference between women’s and men’s tennis kits, whose only two options are the basic tennis crewneck or a polo. And although mixed styles are always appreciated, artistic designs or minimalistic patterns are desperately needed in NikeCourt’s women’s collections to break away from the same color block formula the brand seems to be stuck in.
NikeCourt’s Spring Advantage collection was a mixed bag – visually bold in parts, but often lackluster in execution. It's clear the brand is headed in the right direction with a refreshing departure from the safe, monochromatic palettes of the Australian Open on the men’s side and the range of silhouettes on the women’s side. Yet, most kits felt like recycled versions of past releases. Nike’s longstanding reputation for innovations in on-court fashion – cemented by Serena Williams’ iconic looks – is falling flat.
Serena Williams wears a black Nike tennis dress with matching knee-high boots during the 2004 US Open in New York.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images. Available via British Vogue © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
The brand would benefit from extending its creative ambitions beyond custom kits for outstanding players and generalizing bold design elements across the board to continue leading the fashion conversation in tennis. Offering one dynamic design that can be broken down into several kits with tweaks in color, silhouette, and pattern alignment for both men and women would help Nike move away from reliance on past styles. A kit shouldn’t just function. It should speak, as well.
