The 2019 year-end WTA Top 10 comprises solely of players sponsored by Nike and Fila, which was, naturally, also the case at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen. Go further down the rankings and the highest-ranked women’s tennis player endorsing Adidas is Angelique Kerber at No.20. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is Adidas’ weakest year in recent history (and Fila’s best year ever).
Let’s have a look at what Adidas’ leading representative wore throughout the 2019 season, as part of my annual Fashion Retrospections.
The 31-year-old Kerber opened the year in Sydney, wearing last year’s soft-to-the-touch black Adidas Fall Barricade Tank, featuring thick back straps that create a triangle, and a matching skirt from the US Open.
At the Australian Open and five subsequent tournaments Kerber rocked the famous eco-conscious collection that transformed recycled plastic bottles into high-performance attire, done in cooperation with Parley for the Oceans. The Adidas Spring Parley Tank captures the essence of the ocean with its gradient print, while the Adidas Spring Parley Skirt boasts 3D fabric structure for reduced cling.
The Escouade collection was debuted at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and later it was promoted further at Roland Garros, although in a different colorway. The legend purple Adidas Summer Escouade Tank features slightly dropped armholes and mesh on sides and back, while the Adidas Summer Escouade Skirt, seen here in light granite, includes side pleats with inner pop of shock red squares that are coordinated with built-in ball shortie and sports bra.
The Paris color combination was white/black/shock cyan.
The all-white Wimbledon allows only minimal touches of contrast, so Adidas included some red accents, but mostly played with texture, this time a camo-inspired laser-perforated pattern. The Adidas Fall Stella McCartney Tank and Adidas Fall Stella McCartney Skirt continued the brand’s mission to reduce waste, being made predominantly from recycled polyester.
In Toronto and Cincinnati, Kerber wore the Wimbledon collection, only in different colors.
The US Open range was inspired by the tournament’s host city and its skyscrapers. The German donned the Adidas NY Top, green in the front and black in the full open mesh back, and the Adidas NY Skirt, a pleated design with the New York cityscape glitch print.
During the Asian Swing, the three-time Grand Slam champion Kerber worked the Adidas New York Tank, a stunning all-black design featuring a bra-like open hole mesh overlay, and a black-and-white version of the US Open skirt.
Adidas may be temporarily lacking presence in the top of the WTA (even Lotto has more representatives in the Top 20), but they are still among the industry leaders. All Kerber’s outfits were excellent. My favorite is the black tank from the end of the season and the Wimbledon whites. Tell me your favorites in the comments below!
We usually get a bunch of new clothing contracts when the new season starts, so maybe Adidas will add a new name to their camp in 2020. We’ll see.
