Wimbledon Style Icons

People, this is the Wimbledon week and since its raining cats and dogs in Mumbai and I have no cable, decided to write a piece on Wimbledon Style icons. Its my tribute to the entertainment they have been providing since we got our first color television way back in the 80's.


Chris Evert – Classic Americana. Rated as one of the best women's tennis player ever, she was one of the first exponents of style and grace in tennis. She was the person behind the “Chrissie look” which consisted of gold loop earrings, modishly cut tennis frocks, long hair parted in the middle and tied back with colored yarn, and—look Ma!—a two-handed backhand. The Chris Evert line of Puritan Tennis outfits, frilly, form-fitting tennis togs splashed with pastels, makes the squarish whites of old look like straitjackets. Singlehandedly Miss Evert brought fashion to tennis. And she also had 3 trophies to complement her look.

Steffi Graf – German style and engineering at its best. Fraulein Graf announced her entry into the world of tennis superstars in 1988 (considered her "Golden Year") when she managed to do the unthinkable, defeat the reigning empress of tennis, the one and only Martina Navratilova. After that there was no turning back. With her beauty and grace, Steffi managed to bring femininity and the crowds back to women's tennis. She also managed to make the one-piece skirt held together by a pin at the hip her distinctive look during the tenure of her reign. Currently she is enjoying marital bliss with another star Andre Agassi, but whenever she chooses to make an appearance, she still makes headlines

Gabriela Sabatini – With her jet black hair and eyes, Sabatini brought latina sexuality to women's tennis. And Sergio Tacchini, who styled her gear, understood this and brought to the fore her voluptuous curves with hugging tops and minis. And who can forget that nail biting finals of 1991 , when she almost managed to upset Fraulein Graf. I still remember the match, which almost gave my mother an anxiety attack watching Steffi so close to losing. Of all style icons, Sabatini remains my all time favorite. Even after retirement from pro tennis, she has launched her own line of perfumes, got a rose named in her honor and also has a doll line manufactured by a famous toy company. This goes on to show the influence this latina has on popular culture.

Anna Kournikova – The Original Russian Blond Bombshell. Anna might not have won a single grand slam, but she managed to win the attention of everyone with her ultra hot model looks and fashion sense. Anna blurred the line between an athlete and a fashion model. It is difficult to estimate which made her more money, her endorsement deals or her tennis winnings. Anna made adidas tennis wear fashionable, taking it from the courts to everyday wear. Her gorgeous figure along with her sultry looks and long blond tresses adorned many a swimsuit calendar and magazine centerspreads. Anna was the first in the line of 'Russian Tennis Beauties' and I feel she was responsible for many of them picking up the tennis racket in the first place. She continues to make headlines, either as a brand ambassador for a host of luxury products or for her relationship with singer Enrique Iglesias. Her most (in)famous ad campaign had to be the one for Berlei's shock absorbrer range of sports bra with the tag line "Only the ball should bounce". We disagree :)

Serena Williams – Serena showed the world what 'bootylicious' meant. Together with her sister Venus, they brought power to women's tennis and along with it beaded hair, bling and cat suits. Puma and now Nike has gave Serena complete freedom in designing her dresses and while it has been mostly mind blowing, it has also led to some fashion disasters like in 2004 when a strategic cut in the top revealed a lot of cleavage. One journalist commented that they had a bet amongst themselves when one of her 'assets' would come popping out. Thankfully that didn't happen. Some tennis players went to the extent of claiming that the Venus sisters' hair beads gave them unfair advantage. The clicking of the beads distract their concentration they said. But whatever the case might be, tennis would definitely be poorer in style if it had not been for Serena. She now has her own line of designer wear under the label Aneres (Serena spelled backwards)

Maria Sharapova – A couple of days back, Maria spoke of her desire to be a Bond girl and we agree she is cut out for the role. 6'2 inch tall, hourglass figure, blond hair, a face to die for and a deadly killer instinct, this 20 year old girl has all the right ingredients required for the role. Maria stormed into the tennis world as a 16 year old and causing quite a lot of hearts to flutter and also a string of upsets and the ultimate trophy in 2004. With her trademark grunts and frilly feminine matchwear, she is the reigning queen of the current brigade. Her mere presence can ensure a sell out crowd. Maria is extremely media savvy and she knows the effect she has on people. Lately she has been doing a lot of endorsements and also appearing in a lot of fashion magazine spreads. If on one fine day, you read about Maria being offered the role of a Bond girl, don't be surprised. At least I won't be.

Sania Mirza – The darling of a billion strong country. Its no mean feat for a sportsperson to achieve this status in a cricket crazy nation. With her trademark nose ring, color streaked hair, open cap and hot pants, she packs quite a punch, i.e. when she is not hammering her opponents with her fiery forehand. She is a former Wimbledon girls doubles champion from 2003. Off court, she is equally newsworthy with her street smart tee shirt slogans. Smart marketeers have used her sporty and attitudinal image to create campaigns for their products like cars and soft drinks. She manages to fill out courts with expat Indians, but lately she has been disappointing her fans with her lack lustre performances on court.

Andre Agassi: The only male to make it to this list and it is not surprising why. Andre was the one and only rockstar of men's tennis. With his leonine mane, 2 day stubble and florescent grab, he managed to bring style to men's tennis in the late 80's and early 90's . Andre didn't really fancy playing Wimbledon in the early days of his career because of its 'all-white' dress code. And the grass surface didn't really suit his game. Until 1992. He took the 'all-white' dress code literally and he almost looked like a model for one of those detergent ads. A true maverick, he never failed to entertain. Oh, and he also took back the trophy that year.

Tatiana Golovin – This Russian born French teenager is the latest entrant into the world of fashionable tennis players solely on the strength or rather, the color of her knickers. We will be keeping a close watch (on her game that is :P)