Days before our country’s inauguration, I have spent countless hours watching the first Grand Slam of 2017 …The Australian Open. I can’t help but see the similarities between the two. The age old choice between Nike and adidas, and the division in our country may not seem similar, but their Spring Tennis Collections are as our Presidential choices were.
Federer, Nadal and Serena
Speaking of a study in contrast, Nike is all about black and white in their new Spring Offering. Some of your favorite veteran players, like Federer, Rafa and Serena have been showing off their strokes in monochromatic fashions.
Roger Federer, aka ‘The Fed’, was named GQ’s Most Stylish Man of the Year 2016. We’ve been watching him and drooling over him throughout 
his 17 Grand Slam wins. He continues to look classy wearing the RF Advantage Premier Tennis Polo in Black and White. The horizontal striped pattern might make you feel like you’ve been smoking something funny, but the solid black modern polo collar brings it down to earth. But wait, there is a splash of color in the Nike swoosh. Subtle orange and it’s so chic.
Not to be out shined, Rafa Nadal, aka ‘The Bull’, sports a more conservative look wearing the Rafa AeroReact Challenger Tennis Crew.
This shirt has only one horizontal stripe across the chest and the similar splash of color in the swoosh. It’s not your typical crew collar which gives it a stylish modern appeal. The dolphin dropped hem provides extra coverage for Rafa’s vigorous style of play.
Last but not least, The Queen, Serena Williams shines like royalty in the Court Tennis Dress. The solid black bodice is in stark contrast to the mix 
of black and white geometric patterns. Just like her male compadres, the splash of color comes only in the Nike swoosh on the left chest. The curved hem allows coverage in the front and back while showing the strength in her legs.
Kerber, Sascha and Thiem
Ah…but is the world meant to be seen in black and white? The designers at adidas feel that Spring deserves a breath of fresh air and color. Current world number one, Angelique Kerber, and the ‘Young Guns’, Sasha Zverev and Dominic Thiem, seem to glow in colors like Samba Blue and Glow Orange.
Kerber, as one of the fittest players on the tour, shows off her arms and
back wearing the adidas Melbourne Tennis Tank. This feminine tank has a soft, asymmetrical overlay and a flirty dip in the front. The straps in Glow Orange cross in the back. She pairs this top with the Melbourne Tennis Skort in Glow Orange.
Nineteen year old, Sascha Zverev, looks smart in the Melbourne Tennis
Tee in Samba Blue. His tall frame supports the longer length in the back with a wide Glow Orange band on the hem. He couples this tee with the Melbourne Bermuda Tennis Shorts in Glow Orange.
Austrian Dominic Thiem prefers the Melbourne Tee in White with Glow Orange sleeves and Samba Blue on the hem in back. This tee has more
of a v-neck than the typical crew neck tee. The possibilities are unlimited with the mix and match of colors that are as fresh, as they are bright.
There you have it. Which would you vote for? Or shall we just agree to disagree? But then in tennis, do we really have to choose? We can’t go wrong…at least with this decision!
