Top 5 worst Tennis outfits

We're now in the middle of Wimbledon, and things are beginning to heat up. Here is an article I wrote around this time last year about some of the worst outfits to grace the courts. Enjoy.

I myself am a huge tennis fanatic. Having played for over 10 years, I live, breath and play the sport. I thought it would be a cool idea to hunt down some of the worst tennis outfits ever committed!! Having spent a good few hours trawling the internet I have come up with my top 5. Now, I am aware that there have been numerous crimes against fashion in the tennis world, but these are personally the worst ones.

At number 5 we have a tennis outfit which was worn by a tennis player back in the year 1985. Now the 80's was known for the decade of shoulder pads, keyboard synthesizers, bold colours, Dallas and horrendous haircuts. So in 1985 the tennis player Anne White decided that it would be a brilliant idea to wear this white onesie at Wimbledon. Now, I don't know about you guys but hopefully this outfit was burnt straight after the match. Terrible. I wonder how the people in charge of Wimbledon reacted to this outfit...

 

Anne White, Wimbledon, 1985

  Number 4 was a hard one for me to decide as the following outfits are truly terrible. So really they could all equally be number 1's. I've decided that Venus William's outfit from the Australian Open in 2011 belongs in the number 4 position. The outfit, as you can see, is erm interesting to describe. It kinda looks like a child has taken a pair of scissors and just hacked away at her top, while the skirt is just impossible to describe (and not in a good way). The under-skirt too is weird.This outfit is said to be inspired by the novel 'Alice in Wonderland'. When I read this I was just thinking 'saaay what? Have I read the wrong Alice in Wonderland?!' Basically, Venus stated that the clothing is "kind of about a surprise, because when Alice goes down the hole... she finds all these things that are so surprising." Well, she certainty has that right - I was surprised at this outfit!

Venus Williams, Australian Open, 2011

To follow suit from her sister, we have Serena Williams at the US Open in 2002 in at number 3. This outfit was hand-picked from a vast array of Serena's tennis outfits. There are definitely other ensembles that could have been included, but as you can see I have chosen the 'cat suit'. Words  really can't describe this outfit. I'll just show you the photos and you'll know why...

Serena Williams, US Open, 2002

The runner-up is from the opposite gender. I must first warn you before you see the outfit (if you've seen it before reading this - spoil-sport :p) that it is terrible. You won't have seen anything quite like it before, and if you have, well I shall silently judge you. The runner-up is Dominik Hrbatý from the US Open in 2005. Now as you can see, one fashion-faux-pas that has been committed is the use of baby pink (take note Hrbatý, only a select few men can work that colour) and then second is the cut-out shoulder blades. When looking at these photos I felt totally confused and speechless. The shoes, the shorts and the cap are fine. It's just the top. What was he thinking?! Maybe he never knew about the back, an was just oblivious to it... one can hope.

Dominik Hrbaty, US Open, 2005

The winner of my post all about the 'Top 5 worst Tennis outfits' goes to... drum roll.... the outfit of the American tennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands at Wimbledon last year in 2011. This outfit is outrageous. I remember reading and hearing about this on the news and I was shocked! Completely different from the others, it looks as if it has been made by nursery children. For starters the jacket is just terrible. The attachment of tennis balls and the fringing is interesting, but really? Surely someone would have told her how bad the clothing was before she put them on? Then we have the face-painting under eyes! That is one of the reasons why I chose this outfit at number 1. If someone could explain to me what it's all about I would be truly grateful. The fact that she wore it to the prestigious tennis championships that is Wimbledon is bewildering.

 
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Wimbledon, 2011

So there we have it. My personal top 5 worse tennis outfits. If you can think of any others please leave a comment!

I would just like to say that these are all my own personal opinions, and you've got to take your hats off to them for having the guts and confidence to wear such outfits. I know I don't!