- The young Italian star made a quick wardrobe change
- Comes after strange choice of shoes during the match
- The reason behind the rapid change has been revealed
Tennis players can be a superstitious bunch, highlighted by Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner’s emphasis on wearing a pair of Nike shoes that were discontinued years ago during his triumph at Melbourne Park on Sunday.
After becoming the first Italian to win the Down Under grand slam, the 22-year-old climbed into his team box to celebrate with Australian coach Darren Cahill, friends and family.
But the curious moment when Sinner changed his shoes before the trophy presentation raised many fans’ eyebrows.
“Does he dress up in his Gucci shoes?” one joked on social media platform X.
It turns out that Sinner was quickly putting on his official sponsor shoes after eschewing them before the match.
Sinner was photographed after his Australian Open victory wearing a new pair of Nike shoes that he did not wear during the match
Italian star opts to wear discontinued line of Nike boots on pitch after series of foot injuries in 2022
The Italian is sponsored by Nike and chooses to wear Nike Court Air Zoom Zero boots on the pitch – which were discontinued several years ago.
After the race, he quickly put on the more modern Nike Invincible 3 running shoes for the trophy presentation.
Sinner is believed to be the last professional tennis player still wearing the Nike Court Air Zoom Zero shoes, a determined superstition that may have helped him win the Australian Open title.
Sinner has had a history of foot problems, including withdrawing from the 2022 Miami Open quarter-finals with blisters, while he also injured his ankle in a quarter-final loss to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon the same year.
Sinner was also forced to retire due to an injury against Andrey Rublev at the 2022 French Open.
Sinner wore the Nike Zoom shoes at Wimbledon in 2022 and has relied on the shoes ever since, despite them being discontinued
Its dependence on the discontinued Nike shoe line comes as the shoe giant steadily withdraws from tennis.
Despite having a four-decade relationship with tennis, including partnerships with legends of the sport, among others John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Mary Joe Fernández, Nike has phased out its tennis activities in recent years.
Perhaps the pivotal moment in cementing the association between tennis and Nike occurred when the brand signed deals with icons like Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer at the turn of the century.
Since then, Nike has become a powerhouse in court apparel, consistently delivering top products adorned by the sport’s greats.
But as the curtain falls on this era of players, Nike has discreetly withdrawn from the tennis scene, signaling a conscious decision to scale back its involvement in the sport over the past five years.
That includes the dissolution of the team solely responsible for tennis in 2023.