Maria Sharapova is going glam for her U.S. Open return with a black Riccardo Tisci for Nike dress. The Russian sports star will be competing at the tennis tournament next week after receiving a wild card to enter from the United States Tennis Association, following a 15-month doping ban.
To ensure her return is memorable, 30-year-old Maria is mixing high fashion with athletic attire for her night matches. Former Givenchy head and Nike collaborator Riccardo has created a Swarovski-studded tennis dress, complete with technical lace and eyelet-like perforations.
"It was always going to be black. It wasn't even a question of what we were going to do for the night matches," Maria smiled to American Vogue.
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"When I think of anywhere that I play, I want to bring a sense of elegance to the feeling that I have when I walk onto the court. That's what I felt with the 2006 (black) dress, and what I really wanted to relive in this dress is the moment of elegance and thinking of Audrey Hepburn and her classic Givenchy dress."
The tennis ace won the 2006 Open in a black dress.
As for Riccardo, the designer was overjoyed to be given the chance to create an iconic look for Maria.
"I respect Maria so much as an athlete, and she respects me so much as a designer, and both of us work for Nike, so it came up as a collaboration that we'd like to do together," he smiled. "To me, it was very special to design an outfit for an athlete playing on the courts."