Anna Wintour’s favorite tennis player, Roger Federer, and her other tennis honey, Rafael Nadal, had a fashion face-off yesterday. They gathered with Serena Williams on a temporary tennis court at Broadway and 23rd Street to reveal their U.S. Open ensembles by Nike. Federer, whose gold-lamé–accented Wimbledon court ensemble somewhat scared the Brits, said the subtle, embossed dot pattern on his sleek Nike knit-fabric shirt resembles the New York City subway signs, which, frankly, we didn’t see. Nike reps, on the other hand, simply call Federer’s look “contemporary.”
Nadal, who paired his yellow-and-black Open outfit with a neon-blue headband worn in an almost Arden Wohl–like fashion, more convincingly claimed his outfit mirrors the slickness of a New York taxi. He’s “so very happy to be back in New York,” he explained. “It’s a very special place.” And we are very pleased to host his muscles — er, him. Nadal said he’s been prepping for the Open in Majorca, from where he hails. “I got a lot of rest and did a lot of partying,” he said. He added that he chose bright yellow because he wanted to be colorful this year. “I thought it’d be a lucky color.” John McEnroe, who hosted yesterday’s event, told Rafa, “You’d have to be a real macho man to wear those colors.”
“We think about our court style a lot,” said Williams, wearing the short, pink number she’ll wear at the Open, which starts August 31. Williams is closely involved in the design process and doesn’t look to modes of transportation for inspiration. “I started designing [my outfit] fifteen months ago. I go to shows to see what I’m going to do next season. I get inspired by Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton, and I try to bring that inspiration to tennis.” What else inspired this year’s ensemble? “Color,” clearly. “It’s really basic, but a strictly feminine silhouette,” she explained. She added, however, that she’ll wear the same dress in black after the sun sets: “I feel really fast when I’m wearing black.” So what’s more important to Williams — style or comfort? “Style. I never try to be comfortable — who wants to be comfortable when you can look good?”