Sabalenka’s Australian Open outfit pays tribute to Serena and Sharapova: her favorite tennis attire of her career

World No.1 Sabalenka has unveiled the bright new kit she plans to wear at the Australian Open, honoring two legendary WTA players with this design.

At the Brisbane International, as the top seed, Sabalenka posted a video on social media presenting a NikeCourt Slam dress inspired by surfing. The dress features pink, orange, and black colors with blue edging and an asymmetrical color-block design that catches the eye.

If the color scheme looks familiar, that’s no surprise. Many fans quickly noted in the comments that it resembles the outfit Serena Williams wore at the 2021 Australian Open—a memorable one-legged unitard that itself paid tribute to legendary Olympic sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner’s iconic style.

Sabalenka confirmed this connection both on Instagram and during a post-match interview in Brisbane on Thursday. As the defending champion, she said the bright, summery look was inspired by former world No.1 Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

“That was (Sharapova’s) light peach dress, do you remember? That’s my favorite outfit, and I really wanted to bring it back,” Sabalenka said when asked about her favorite tennis attire. “I told Nike when we talked that I wanted to bring those colors back.” She added, “Please, do something for me with those colors! I love it so much, and it fits perfectly with the Australian vibe. So they really made it happen, and now it’s my favorite dress.”

This NikeCourt women’s Slam dress draws inspiration from surfing culture and diving gear, featuring a high funnel neck and a half-zip front. The design is part of Nike’s 2026 Melbourne collection.

In Brisbane, Sabalenka started the season strong by defeating Bouchard 6-0, 6-1; then on Thursday, she beat Kostyuk 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. Today, Sabalenka passed her first big test of the new season by overcoming No.5 seed and Australian Open champion Keys to reach the semifinals.

As the top seed and defending champion, Sabalenka took 1 hour and 30 minutes to exact “revenge,” beating Keys 6-3, 6-3. The match was intense, a direct clash between two of the WTA’s most aggressive players. “She’s a fantastic player, and every match against her is tough,” Sabalenka said, improving their head-to-head to 6-2. “I focused hard throughout, controlled my serve, and tried to apply pressure on her service games as much as possible. I kept these thoughts in my mind and think I did well. She played aggressively, but I tried to return all the pace back to her.”

Next, Sabalenka faces a challenging semifinal against Muchova, who defeated third seed Rybakina 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in another match.

In their head-to-head record, Muchova leads 3-1. Sabalenka won their first encounter in 2019, but Muchova has since won three consecutive matches, most recently at the 2024 China Open quarterfinals. “The score between us doesn’t matter; the past stays in the past,” Sabalenka said. “I just want to bring everything I’ve worked on throughout my career onto the court and try to do better every time.”(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)