Maria Sharapova on Why a Tennis Dress Is WAY More Than a Tennis Dress

Workout clothes can be stylish, but they’re still workout clothes…right? Um, no. Maria Sharapova worked with Nike for the outfits she’s been debuting at this year’s U.S. Open and, dang, they look good. Sophia was there in person when she debuted the saucy little black dress seen below and said it was “fierce” (capital F style). “I consider the center court a runway, [like] a place where I have the ability to merge together the world of fashion and sport with what I’m wearing on the court,” she told me.

“It’s the simplicity of this year’s U.S. Open dress that I worked really hard with Nike in designing and developing. The simplest and classic shapes are the hardest to execute since it’s all about flawless details. And the dress has to be functional to perform on the court.”

The LBD shares a lot of similarities with the flirty numbers hanging in your closet, but the construction has a lot more in order to get all that serving and volleying done. Stretch polyester fabric pulls sweat from the skin, while mesh inserts at the sides and waist give the player ventilation. And inside? Molded cups offer support, and the racerback gives ergonomic support. Sounding kinda like your favorite bra but in a dress form, huh?

The night look might’ve been all about noir colors and leopard spots, but the day look, simpler but no less chic, is kind of covetworthy too.

Are you watching tennis religiously right now? Can we TALK about how stylish some of the players are off-court?