Tennis merch plays it safe – which is why it lacks winners.
Tennis is back – courts are full, and small brands and global players alike are launching new collections. There's more tennis output than there has been in a long time. And yet, a feeling persists: the true highlights are missing, the iconic pieces you want to wear on and off court. The products that turn activewear into a true tennis outfit, or the T-shirt that gives you subtle recognition from other tennis players with a small nod in everyday life.
Currently, much of it moves in two distinct directions. On one side, the "Sporty & Rich" cosmos: with lots of white and muted colors, often the classic cream-green combination with text in serif fonts. A touch of nostalgia, combined with the aesthetic of a country club. The imaginary club name, of course, must not be missing from any design. A stylish look, perfect for lifestyle photos on Instagram and Pinterest. An aesthetic concept that works, and precisely because of that, too often quotes itself.
On the other side are the big performance brands like Nike or ON. Here, it's about innovation, movement, and function. Technical materials, clean lines, often accented with neon colors. Products that excel on the court. But what works there doesn't always make it into everyday life. Yet, it was precisely this connection that used to be part of the fascination. The fits of Agassi, Björn Borg, and co. were also relevant in lifestyle – tennis sneakers and tennis T-shirts were part of pop culture.
And just like that, you're reminiscing again. No wonder vintage tennis merch is currently experiencing a real boom. Old pieces in second-hand and vintage stores sometimes sell for significantly more than their original price. Colorful tennis graphic tees, 90s US Open merch, Sergio Tacchini tracksuits, or anything from the Agassi era – much of it sells immediately. Advantage Vintage! The safety-first approach is also evident in current tennis tournament merch. With a bit of luck, you might find some special pieces at the Grand Slams, especially when major licensees like Ralph Lauren or New Balance are involved. However, most of it remains familiar: lots of logos, proven templates, and very basic fits.
But why does vintage merch seem so special, while new stuff often looks similar? One explanation is that designers and artists used to approach themes independently, drawing on their own, often analog, sources of inspiration. The result was a wide variety of concepts with clear individual signatures. Today, there is often a shared pool of digitally available content. Social media algorithms also reward familiar aesthetics that have already been validated by the masses. These are then amplified, quickly giving the impression that they are the only concepts that work. What performs well is reproduced. And with the capabilities of AI, it's easier than ever to create and vary such visual worlds. The result: more output, but often less variation – and even less surprise.
Media like Racquet Magazine provocatively ask the question – where has all the good merch gone Where Has All the Good Merch Gone? - Racquet – and thus contribute to restarting the discourse. The popularity of accounts like Vintage Court Collection shows that there is still great interest in exceptional retro styles. The tennis world offers so much inspiration, and it's exciting to see how brands, creators, and platforms are trying to fill the creative vacuum and bring more variety between performance wear and country club aesthetics.
In our own creations, we also take on the challenge by playing with design, culture, and references. We've found a lot of inspiration, particularly in vintage Grand Slam merch and 70s tennis style. For example, in our officially licensed cartoon crossovers, Peppa Pig, typically British, appears in white tennis dresses or with strawberries and cream on the grass court. Die Maus completes the "T-Shirt Grand Slam" with motifs suitable for the 4 major tournaments, and Snoopy addresses the mental side of the sport, with its emotional highs and lows. In our Tennis Selection, in addition to our own creations, we also want to put together a diverse selection of products and offer tennis lovers an additional point of contact for exciting tennis merch. Here we also present products from other brands, starting with the T-shirts from Ace To The Moon, a tennis brand from New York. The assortment is complemented by selected highlights such as posters from Hands of Gods, various coffee table books, or the super cute tennis plush Snoopy from Bon Ton Toys.
Happy browsing, hopefully with more winners than unforced errors.
