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Top 6 Best Tennis Apparel Brands

Best Tennis Apparel Brands

Many professional tennis players have spent long periods of time working with and determining which brands produce their most preferred forms of apparel and equipment. The best tennis apparel keeps players comfortable and confident while also making a style statement. Read on to learn about the top six best tennis apparel brands.

  1. Nike
  2. Adidas
  3. Wilson
  4. Lacoste
  5. Asics
  6. Fila

1. Nike

Nike is a general sports apparel company founded by the University of Oregon’s Phil Knight. Knight was a track athlete and began the company with his coach as a way to market running shoes. Ever since being created in 1964, Nike has expanded into multiple other sports apparel industries. Nike began selling tennis shoes in 1973 at the Rainier International Tennis Classic in Seattle, Washington. Since starting with tennis shoes, Nike has since expanded to tennis clothes and socks.

Nike Tennis was greatly boosted by signing John McEnroe (1978) and Andre Agassi (1986) to major shoe deals. Nike had a knack for discovering talented young tennis players and signing them to sponsorship deals. Eventual tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal signed deals with Nike at the ages of 16 and 14, respectively. Nike then focused heavily on women’s tennis apparel after signing deals with Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.

2. Adidas

Adidas was started in Bavaria, Germany, in 1924, in the basement of shoemaker Adi Dassler. It was officially founded as a sports apparel company in 1949. Starting with tennis shoes, Adidas has since expanded into tennis clothes, socks, backups, and water bottles. Adidas began making leather tennis shoes in 1963. The company named the shoe after Robert Haillet, who was a French tennis player. Eight years later, an American named Stan Smith wore the Robert Haillet while playing his way into the number one world ranking. By 1978, the shoe was renamed after Smith.

Since then, many other tennis players have worn Adidas tennis shoes and received sponsorships for doing so. In the 1980s, women’s tennis legend Steffi Graff wore the iconic three-striped shoes. Currently, Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem and Germans Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber are sponsored by the company and use Adidas shoes and clothes.

3. Wilson

Wilson started in 1913 with the intention of finding uses for byproducts created from meatpacking plants. One of those original uses was the production of tennis racket strings. In 1915 the company was led by Thomas E. Wilson, for whom it was eventually named. From there, Wilson became a sporting goods company. Wilson produced baseball shoes, tennis rackets, basketballs, and footballs in its early years. Since then, its tennis department has expanded to tennis balls, bags, strings, and even more industrial types of equipment like stringing machines and portable ball machines.

Currently, the Wilson tennis ball is the official ball of two tennis grand slams: The U.S. Open and The Australian Open. Wilson has sponsorships with plenty of tennis stars. There is a long list of those who use their tennis rackets, including Roger Federer, Simona Halep, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Aryna Sabalenka, Andrey Rublev, and Madison Keys.

4. Lacoste

Lacoste is a French sportswear company founded in 1933. After a successful tennis career, René Lacoste founded the organization with entrepreneur André Gillier. The company logo is a crocodile due to Lacoste’s nickname. Given to him when he was a player, René Lacoste was called “The Crocodile” after he won a bet with his tennis captain. The bet was that if René won his next match, his captain would buy him a crocodile-leather suitcase. Like the apparel sold by the Lacoste company, René wore a crocodile patch on his tennis polo.

Today, Lacoste sells luxury sportswear such as polos, bags, watches, sunglasses, shoes, and jackets. The company is the official sponsor for the French Open, one of the four tennis grand slams. Currently, numerous tennis players wear Lacoste clothes when they compete, including tennis great Novak Djokovic. Some other players that wear Lacoste gear include Danil Medvedev and Roberto Bautista Agut.

5. ASICS

ASICS is a shoe and apparel company founded in Japan in 1949. The company made its first shoes, basketball shoes, in 1950. Eventually, ASICS expanded into wrestling shoes and running shoes in the same decade. Once the company had made waves in track and field, they expanded again in the 1970s. At the time, the company was called Onitsuka Tiger. They merged with a company called GTO to form “ASICS.” From there, the company began to make tennis shoes, along with baseball cleats and their older products. Since then, ASICS tennis shoes have become a staple brand used in professional tennis.

On top of tennis shoes, ASICS also produces other types of tennis apparel such as shirts, shorts, and socks. Wildly popular tennis player Novak Djokovic wears ASICS shoes. Some other famous tennis players that wear ASICS shoes while competing are Gael Monfils, David Goffin, and Petra Martić. 

6. Fila

Fila began in 1911, when it was founded by two brothers in Biella, Italy. Originally a textile company, Fila eventually became a fashion-based clothing producer. Fast forward to the 1970s, Fila decided to become more involved in a quickly advancing competitive sportswear market. Aiming to attack a global sports market, Fila’s first focus for sports sponsorships was tennis.

The company made waves when it secured an endorsement with Swedish tennis great Bjorn Borg. Borg was not only a great tennis player but also marked a beginning of growth in tennis popularity. Since then, Fila’s tennis shoes and clothes have only grown in popularity along with tennis. Initially a fashion company, Fila emphasizes style in creating tennis shoes and apparel. The company also makes products like water bottles and tennis bags. Other tennis players that currently use Fila products include Ash Barty, Karolína Plíšková, and Diego Schwartzmann.

Honorable Mentions

Babolat

Babolat is another veteran tennis company that has existed for over 100 years. Founded in 1875 by Pierre Babolat of Lyon, France, the brand was one of the first tennis-centric companies. Babolat has been in the tennis business since the sport was still young, manufacturing tennis strings and, eventually, rackets, and standing alongside the other giants of the sport. Today, Babolat is still a top racket provider, and their rackets have been used by tennis legends like Rafael Nadal.

In terms of apparel, Babolat provides all the essentials for anyone’s tennis needs, no matter their skill level or age. They provide top-tier clothing for both men and women, and also have products and departments for boys and girls. Among their products are shoes, bags, shorts, T-shirts, tops, skirts, and other accessories such as hats, socks, wristbands, and towels. Without a doubt, Babolat represents one of the most historic tennis brands, and though they may be best-known for their rackets, their apparel likes are nothing to sneer at.

Diadora

  • Founded: 1948
  • Website: https://www.diadora.com/
  • Products: Shoes, Polos, Tees, Shorts, Tennis Dresses, Skirts, Socks, Jackets, Tracksuits, Accessories

Diadora is an Italian footwear and sportswear brand that sells a variety of tennis shoes and garments. The company was founded in 1948 as a manufacturer of mountaineering boots. In the 1970s, Diadora moved into soccer and tennis, notably signing a sponsorship deal with tennis superstar Björn Borg.

While Diadora now focuses more on soccer in terms of sponsorship, their tennis apparel is still excellent, with decades of experience in the sport. Diadora is known for their durable and comfortable tennis shoes. Both men and women can find complete tennis outfits from Diadora, including skirts, tennis dresses, shorts, tees, tanks, polos, jackets, and accessories. Diadora also sells apparel for several other sports, including beach volleyball, pickleball, padel, and general fitness and training.

Ellesse

  • Founded: 1959
  • Website: https://www.ellesse.com/
  • Products: Tennis Dresses, Tanks, Tees, Shorts, Skirts, Socks, Bags, Hats, Accessories

Ellesse is an Italian sportswear brand that sells fashion-forward tennis apparel. The company was founded in 1959 in Umbria. Tennis has always been a main focus of the brand and the Ellesse brand features a tennis ball design (along with a pair of skis, referencing their other main sport they produce apparel for). Ellesse has collaborated with famous designers since the 1980s and their apparel has been worn by many celebrities, both in the tennis world and other arenas.

Ellesse offers a full line of tennis apparel for men and women that is highly fashionable yet refreshingly affordable. They sell dresses, skirts, skorts, tanks, tees, polos, shorts, hats, visors, and caps, many featuring their famous tennis ball logo. Ellesse also sells stylish apparel for skiing and training.

Here is a list of other great tennis apparel brands:

  • Aerie
  • Alo Yoga
  • Castore AMC
  • Dunlop
  • EleVen by Venus Williams
  • Full Court Sport
  • FP Movement
  • Gucci
  • Head
  • Hill House Home
  • K-Swiss
  • Lululemon
  • Marysia
  • Original Penguin
  • Ralph Lauren
  • Splits59
  • Tory Sport
  • Under Armour
  • Uniqlo
  • Yonex
  • Yony

FAQ

What is the best tennis apparel brand?

Nike is the best tennis apparel brand. Nike is regarded as one of the best sportswear brands in the world, and their tennis shoes and clothing are no exception. The brand has had a dedicated tennis division since 1973, and they have sponsored some of the biggest stars in the sport.

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