Aryna Sabalenka’s Nike Australian Open Kit Honors Serena Williams

During the Brisbane International, tennis pro Aryna Sabalenka posted a video on Instagram wearing a surf-inspired NikeCourt Slam dress captioned “A little commotion for my Australian Open kit… inspired by the surf.”

She gave a spin in a sun-drenched room in an outfit she plans to wear for the upcoming Australian Open. Her Nike kit features swooping wavy shapes in pink, peach and black, almost sorbet-hued colorways. It pays tribute to two legends in women's tennis: Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, alongside Australia’s surf culture.

Sabalenka was partly inspired by Serena Williams’ outfit worn at the Australian Open in 2021, an asymmetrical pink, red, and black catsuit designed by Nike. The outfit was a tribute to the late Olympic gold medalist sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner (Flo-Jo).

The outfit had one leg of fabric, just like Flo-Jo, who found her signature style while experimenting with different looks. She found the one-legged legging look in 1988. She first found the style by accident while cutting up racer suits to debut a different style, first wearing it at the U.S. Olympic Trials and the Seoul Olympics.

It was also inspired by Sharapova’s light peach dress she wore during the 2013 US Open, which she called her "favorite one" worn by the athlete, adding that "I would love to bring that back," said Sabalenka in an on-court interview in Brisbane.

It’s a different cry from last year. In November, Sabalenka talked about her dissatisfaction with Nike kits, despite working with the brand and offering her own ideas for creative expression on the court. Having more creative expression with this current kit is obviously something she is excited about.

She told Nike she wanted to bring the two colors worn by Sharapova and Williams back; pink and peach. “I remember talking to Nike and telling them I want to bring those colors back,” Sabalenka said. “Please, just do something for me in those colors!" The inspiration also comes from Australia's surf and scuba culture.

The NikeCourt Slam Women's Dri-FIT Tennis Dress is listed as 'coming soon' on the Nike website. It comes in three different colorways: the pink and peach mix, a yellow and green mix and a two-tone blue mix. The fit is made with at least 50 percent recycled polyester fibers. It has a cutout back.

The 2026 Australian Open kicks off on January 18 and runs until February 1.

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