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Tennis clothing brands: what sets them apart
The major brands on tour, what each one goes for, and what actually matters in a tennis shirt beyond the logo.
Tennis clothing is sold on image, but what decides whether it works is fairly technical: how it handles sweat, whether it lets your shoulder move, and how it holds up in the sun.
The brands on tour
- Nike: the most visible in professional tennis. Modern cut, huge range, premium prices on player lines.
- Adidas: the other giant. Solid technical pieces with player collaboration lines.
- Lacoste: the brand founded by a tennis player, Rene Lacoste. The modern tennis polo comes from there.
- Fila: strong on classic aesthetics, with heavy seventies and eighties heritage.
- Asics: better known for footwear, but with very solid technical apparel.
- Uniqlo: entered tennis dressing top players, with a focus on simple garments and good fabric.
What actually matters
- Moisture-wicking fabric. Pure cotton soaks and gets heavy; in Caribbean heat that is a bad idea.
- Shoulder freedom. Raise your arms as if serving: if the shirt pulls, it does not work no matter how it looks.
- Flat seams at the underarm and sides. That is where chafing shows up in long matches.
- Sun protection (UPF) if you play at midday.
White and the rules
Wimbledon requires almost all white, and many private clubs keep similar dress codes. Beyond that, the professional tour dropped color restrictions decades ago.