Sport and fashion playing together is one of my favourite pastimes to watch, and the 2026 US Open was no exception. Unlike Wimbledon, the event does not have an all-white dress code for competing athletes and the theme for this year was “Celebrating our New York story,” setting up the court for some excellent fashion moments.
Ralph Lauren Collection
Ralph Lauren served their 19th year as Official Outfitter of the tournament, delivering a commemorative US Open collection that included preppy sportswear, ball crew uniforms, sunglasses, and classic clothing perfect for spectating.
Naomi Osaka in Who Decides War
It wasn’t just the outfitters who were fashion forward this year, the athletes also brought their A-game. Japan’s Naomi Oskaka, two time US Open champion, was styled by Roach Law and wore a Nike tennis kit and custom Who Decides War walk-on ensemble for her first round match. The avant-garde ensemble included several yards of tulle and French terry, and was detailed with newspaper clippings and imagery.
Osaka stated that her look was inspired by Allen Iverson, the basketball player fashion trailblazer that GQ credits as “creating the blueprint” for the modern sports star.
Carlos Alcaraz and Cactus Jack
Osaka wasn’t alone in taking a risk; Carlos Alcatraz, who had been 127 days out with a right wrist injury, returned to tennis wearing an unreleased collaboration between Nike and Travis Scott’s label Cactus Jack. After Alcatraz’s win, Scott joined him for a victory lap, revealing the full Cactus Jack x Nike collaborative range, called the “Cactus Court” collection. I believe this is just as much a comeback for Alcatraz as Travis Scott, who has been steadily re-entering the mainstream and aligning his brand closer with the sports world after the Astroworld incident of 2021.
Both Alcatraz and Scott seem aware of the risks they took collaborating, with Nike’s instagram post starting with Scott talking to Alcatraz, stating, “Look who came back, man,” and the caption stating, “If you’re going to play, play with fire.” It makes for a topical, strong concept, sweetened by the fact that Alcatraz won his first match after being back from injury.
The Influencer Olympics
Not every fashion story at this year’s US Open was a celebration. The tournament seemed to embrace influencers more this year, with content creators covering fashion, food and lifestyle alongside the tennis. Events including a viral moment of a spectator using a ring light to photograph themselves during the first-round Osaka vs. Zakharova match sparked the debate of whether this was ‘cheapening’ or distracting from the tournament.
In an interview with ESPN, Osaka commented that, “I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport. And I feel like it’s common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette. I feel like it could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like [my] first-round match.”
An influencer who I believe nailed both the courtside etiquette and the fashion brief has to be Paige Paul (formerly Lorenze). She attended the tournament to support her husband, professional tennis player Tommy Paul. Online she shared her behind the scenes tournament prep, vintage shoe collections, and game-day beauty routines while delivering understated looks and debuting a pop up for her brand Dairy Boy, centred around the DB Sport Spectator collection. Take a look:
All images: Louis Vuitton
Taken together, it’s an interesting snapshot of where tennis fashion stands right now: heritage brands still anchoring the sport’s visual identity, athletes increasingly investing into their personal fashion and brand, and a growing opportunity influencer interest.