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Kim Clijsters, Marin Cilic, Anna Chakvetadze, Agi Szavay and more to Launch 2010 Fila Heritage Collection at the Australian Open.

Fila will debut its spring 2010 Tennis Heritage Collection at the Australian Open, beginning January 18. Watch for the looks on Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agi Szavay, Anna Chakvetadze, Marin Cilic, Dmitry Tursunov and Janko Tipsarevic among others.

The Heritage Collection taps into Fila's collection of vintage designs and interprets the iconic styling that transformed tennis apparel during the Björn Borg era. Thankfully the shorts are longer, although they did work for the Swede at the time. The new tennis fashions are constructed of a soft, flat poly spandex jersey decked out in signature Fila Chinese red, peacoat and white combinations.

Top left, Chakvetadze wears the Heritage dress ($65 USD) in peacoat with woven bottom pleats and hip detailing using yarn dyed stripes. Szavay wears the matching heavier weight Heritage warm up jacket ($65), bottom right, with rib collar, cuff and hem. There is a matching pant ($55). Top right Szavay wears the Heritage skort ($45) with a cute asymetrical bottom pleat that cuts across the left leg. She has paired it with the Heritage v-neck cap sleeve ($48). The group also offers a racerback tank ($50) and cami tank with built in bra ($50) as an alternative. Clijsters will select a combination of her own choice for the Aussie.

Fila men will wear one of four different tops, an elastic waist micro-twill Heritage short ($45) and light-weight micro twill Heritage warm up jacket ($65) and pant ($55).The short sleeve Heritage piped polo, worn by Cilic bottom left, ($55) and sleeve stripe polo designs have straight drop tails this season, each with venting and contrast detailing.

Two short sleeve Heritage crew neck top ($46) designs feature bold horizontal contrast striping on the back and arms respectively and unique mesh and side vent features. The solid men’s pant (peacoat with white side seam trim and bottom leg zipper) is complemented by the peacoat/white jacket, both with subtle Chinese red taping details.

Racquet choices above: Cilic, HEAD Youtek Radical MP, $210; Chakvetadze, Wilson [K] Blade 98, $230; Szavay Wilson [K] Blade Team, $230.

Find it soon at Fila and Tennis-Warehouse.

Svetlana Kuznetsova Clinches China Open Title. Her style, gear and the U.S. Open practice ball.

Props to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia who won the women's title at this year's China Open. Earlier this month she secured a spot at the WTA's year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Kuznetsova has had one of her best seasons on Tour this year, capturing the trophy at Roland Garros, her second Grand Slam title, as well as winning two additional Premier titles at the Internationali BNL d’Italia (Rome) and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart), defeating World No.1 Dinara Safina in all three finals.  To date, Kuznetsova has defeated a reigning World No.1 player six times. Why not more exposure for this woman?

I personally have a soft spot for Sveta as she said hello and handed my young daughter her practice ball after a blistering warm up hit at the U.S. Open. Despite the heat and tournament pressure she was one no-airs-about-her ambassador for the game. Impression made; witness the ball emblazoned "Svetlana Kuznetsova's Practice Ball"  and always, "How's Svetlana doing?"

Pictured above in Beijing, Kuznetsova wore the Fila Heritage Cap Sleeve Top, $48 and Skort, $45, one of the year's most winning women's outfits. Kim Clijsters wore it to win the U.S. Open. I looked at some of the other pieces from the group earlier in the season.

Kuznetsova plays with a HEAD MicroGel Extreme Pro with Teflon.

Find her style at Tennis-Warehouseand Fila. HEAD has more info on the racquet.

James Blake and Fila Launch Blake's New Thomas Reynolds Collection for Men.

 
Fila and James Blake have launched the Thomas Reynolds Collection,  a co-branded collaboration inspired by the ATP World Tour tennis player's life and interests. Blake will publicly debut the fall 2009 Thomas Reynolds collection on court during his first match at the U.S. Open. The collection combines the design heritage of the Fila brand with a contemporary twist inspired by Blake’s signature style -- but no sleeveless shirts or headbands at the moment.  The Thomas Reynolds logo was designed by James. The name? Blake's father's first and middle names. Pictured below, Betty Blake is flanked by her two sons at the launch party earlier this week. The night was undoubtedly meaningful for the family.

The debut line includes polo and crew neck style shirts, long loose fiitting shorts, warm up pieces and a duffle bag. Prices range from $48 USD for the crewneck to $80 for the duffle. The collection will appeal to classics lovers (and Blake admirers) who demand performance. The raglan sleeve polo for example is made of coolmax pique - super soft and lightweight. The colors are all Americana, peacoat navy, campanula blue, red and white. A printed label means no neck irritation.

The collection is available at the Thomas Reynolds concept shop at Lord & Taylor in Manhattan, Dicks Sporting Goods, Paragon Sports, Mason’s Tennis Mart, Tennis-Warehouse, Fila and select specialty retailers nationwide.

Fila to Debut New Mens and Womens Tennis Heritage Collections at the U.S. Open.

You've likely seen a few pieces from this collection on Fila athletes competing in U.S. Open Series. Kim Clijsters wore the skort during her debut return. The full 2009 Tennis Heritage Collection will unveil August 31 at the U.S. Open on: Marin Cilic, Anna Chakvetadze (left in the racerback tank, $50 and skort, $45), Janko Tipsarevic, Agi Szavay and Dmitry Tursunov (bottom in short sleeve top, $50).

In a clear contrast to more flashy contemporary lines, the Heritage Collection uses old school red, white and blue solids accented by bold, contrasting stripes with several pieces featuring flag-like diagonal stripes, a nod to Fila’s design cues and players from the early 70’s. The color theme is of course so very U.S.A..

Check out the variety of women's tops. There are cap sleeves and sleeveless styles that offer more body coverage if you want it. The dress..tell me if you like it. Super young looking -- would be great on any very fit, thin player.

Each Heritage piece is adorned with the embroidered F-box Heritage patch logo to clearly define the special line. The fabrics are all performance -- no throw back to the 70s there.

The new Fila Alpha shoe coordinates beautifully.

Find the looks at Fila or soon at Tennis-Warehouse.

Kim Clijsters Rejoins the WTA Tour With a Splash.

 

Welcome back Kim! The Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open kicked off this past weekend with the return of Kim Clijsters who played mini tennis with Elena Dementieva amidst the cooling spray of the fountains of King's Island. Clijsters first faces Marion Bartoli, world number 12.

Clijsters returns to the tour wearing Fila and carrying her trusty Babolat, the Babolat Pure Drive, $185. For string she uses Babolat VS Natural Gut.  

For more on her return, check out this link on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour site.

Image: Getty Images

With Weapon Underfoot. Tennis Shoes for Grass Court Play.

You can't see it but when playing on grass, the pros have a key weapon hidden underfoot. Grass court specific shoes have pegged or dimpled soles that provide extra grip for the player's game and protection for the hallowed courts. Hard court or clay specific tennis shoes can be slippery on grass and bad for the surface itself.

Here is what's new on the market -- in the U.K. only -- so U.S. residents, if you want them, call a friend across the pond. There just aren't enough grass courts in the U.S. to make it worth selling them here.

 

Above is the new adidas CC Feather IV Grass shoe, £80 (app. $130 USD). Developed with the London 2012 Olympic games in mind, the outsole features an innovative dimple pattern with rubbery spikes. The spikes grip but give a flat push off area ensuring quick directional change ability for players.

Tim  Henman, reports that he  "found [the shoes] provided amazing grip and support on both dry and damp surfaces..." Dinara Safina, Novak Djokovic, Fernando Verdasco, Marat Safin and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will all wear new adidas for grass at Wimbledon (Novak's will be custom).

Fila has also released a great looking grass court version of their new new-to-market Fila Alfa Wimbledon line (above). Decked out in its namesake's  purple and green the Fila Alfa Wimbledon Grass Court (unisex) is another "dimpled sole" option. Added-value, built-in superaction inserts increase the responsiveness of this shoe, £77 (app $126 USD).

Buy the adidas shoe in the U.K. at: Tennis Nuts, Wigmore and ProDirect. Here's a little video.

The Fila Alpha Wimbledon is online at Shop Wimbledon.

For a pro's take on grass court shoes check out this clip on Travis Parrot's blog. Parrot is U.S. ATP Tour player (currently #25 in dubs). Nike unfortunately only makes their grass-court specific shoe for the pros.

Svetlana Kuznetsova Wins French Open Title Making Her Grand Slam Total Two. Her Gear.

 

Props to Svetlana Kuznetsova on her trophy win at Roland Garros. This was her second career Grand Slam win. Her first was at the 2004 U.S. Open at age 19. Clearly, despite a few bumpy years, the woman is no fading flower. She won the Porshe Grand Prix at Stuttgart earlier this year (beating Safina there as well).

Kuznetsova plays with the Head MicroGEL Extreme with Teflon, $200. Pictured here she is wearing the new Fila Women's Center Court Cap Sleeve Top, $48 and court skort in pink, $45. For more on the new Center Court collection, click here.

Find Kuznetsova's gear at Fila, Head or Tennis-Warehouse.

Agnes Szavay steps out strong in dynamic new style from Fila.

Agi Szavay stepped out and through Venus Williams at Roland Garros today wearing a sleek new Center Court Dress, $53 USD, from Fila's new Center Court Collection.

The top to bottom asymmetrical lines of pink and white mimic Szavay's dynamic play. The fabric is all performance with mesh inserts down the sides for ventilation. The bra is built in. Delicate (very un-Vegas) gold inserts add glamour to the simple A-line tank style. You can't see the gold here but it's over the shoulder, a very subtle yet elegant touch.

The new women's collection is rounded out with a range of versatile pieces such as a pull on skort with the gold shimmer detailing, sleeveless polo, cami tank, scoop tank and v-neck cap sleeve top. The v-neck and cami tank are super cute.

Get Agi's look at Fila and Tennis-Warehouse.

Tennis Apparel for the Vintage Connoisseur. Mens Fila from the Days of Borg.

 

Perhaps because the Swede in me loved watching Björn Borg, I adore these terra rosa pieces from the Settantetre (73) collection of Vintage Fila.

Channel some 70s energy with Borg's athletic apparel, offered in his cream, navy and red combination as well as the uber cool cream and lime combos above. The belted short shorts are not part of the group; good decision not to try and bring those back.

Pictured above left is the terra rosa jacket, $175 USD, in 70% acrylic and 30% wool -- top quality, warm and SO awesomely retro but with an updated color scheme. The shirt, right, is the terra rosa polo, $110 complete with snap placket, contrast collar and vertical stripes. Made in Italy, these 92% cotton shirts are the real deal, right down to the stitching, based on Borg's exact signature style but cut to fit the more modern man -- who is a bit less sinewy let's just say.

One of my team, a t-shirt and shorts kind of guy, popped the shirt on and instantly looked more polished and professional -- meaning less of a rec., more of a club identity. Interesting how much a shirt can change one's projected image. The jacket also looks great with a pair of jeans as we saw at one of Fila's recent shows.

Learn more or buy at Fila. For more on Borg and a look at some old images visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Fila Goes Green With New Fabrication in Personal Performance Collection.

In honor of Earth Day week here in the U.S. Fila has released the new "green" pieces in its Women’s Personal Performance Collection. The group is designed to cross-over between sports including our personal fav, tennis. Good for the wallet (multi-use) and good for the earth.

The new collection encourages sustainable agriculture and recycling by blending bamboo and soy based materials with recycled Poly Spandex and organic cotton in four of the performance pieces.  

The very cute Flower Sleeveless Muscle Tank (pictured left, $50 USD) is cut from screened soft recycled Poly Spandex. Pair it with a black skirt (who doesn't have one of those) and you've got a great tennis outfit that's good to mother earth.

Buy online only at Dick's Sporting Goods in the U.S. beginning in May.

A special Earth Day shout-out to Fila for partnering with American Forests an organization dedicated to tree planting programming globally.

Tursunov and Tipsarevic Step Out in New Fila Heritage Collection. A Navy, Red and White 70's Redux That's Grabbing Dollars Already.

 Not to be outdone, the Fila men, Dmitry Tursunov and Janko Tipsarevic trotted out in new Fila Heritage Collection this week down in Miami. Top left Dmitry wears the men's Heritage stripe polo, $45 straight from Fila's design archives in Italy. Bottom, Janko sports the new raglan ss top, $46 (also in a already popular white version). Only the longer shorts, untucked shirts and eyewear give away 2009.

Also see women's new heritage. Janko's Oakley eyewear.

Shop Fila and Tennis-Warehouse.

 

Chakvetadze and Kuznetsova Debut New Fila Heritage Line at Sony Ericsson in Miami.

  Fila's Heritage performance line has returned, debuting at the Sony Ericsson in Miami. Pictured left, Anna Chakvetadze wears the collection's new cami tank, $50 USD, her personal favorite in the group. The ruching on the center front and thin contrast twist back straps add very current feminine detail. Anna's skort is the navy (peacoat) essenza skort, $44.

Other fave pieces from the Fila old school style Heritage line range include: the cap sleeve tee, $42 (pictured on Svetlana below), the Heritage jacket, $65, a super cute terry zip style with matching warm up pant, $55. White is selling fast at the tourney.

Buy at Fila or Tennis-Warehouse.

Fila Athletes Strut Their Stuff at the Fila/Trina Turk Fashion Show in Indian Wells

   

Gotta say Fila has some yummy tennis stuff coming up alongside some remakes of Borg style classics. I'm going to HAVE to get the mod floral black top and skirt. Check it out. They've got everyone covered right down to the kiddies. Appearances by Anna Chakvetadze, Marin Cilic (see top right), Agi Szavay and Andreas Seppi (left).

Click Here to Watch. the video clip.

Fila and James Blake to Collaborate on New Men's Tennis Collection

James Blake has just entered a collaboration agreement with Fila and is planning a new co-branded apparel and footwear collection for men. The collection will incorporate the heritage of the Fila brand with a contemporary twist inspired by Blake's signature style. I wonder if there will be any sleeveless styles?The collection will include tennis, golf, fitness and lifestyle apparel and will debut just prior the 2009 U.S. Open.

Pictured here James has covered his lovely biceps (gone like Rafa's) in favor of Fila's Winter Baseline Solid Polo. He also wears the Winter Baseline Short and Fila Alfa shoe.

Hopefully he'll do a special tee for the J-Block. Count me in.

Get the look at Fila or Tennis-Warehouse.

PS -- Check out James' personal post on his new line at Yardbarker.com.

Janko Tipsarevic Owns His Attention Grabbing Style.

Janko Tipsarevic has a style all his own. Pictured here at the Australian he wears Fila's 09 mens collection, a group of which, through bold color graphics, adds a little radical to classic tennis style. The shirt is the Collezione body mapped short sleeve crew, $56 USD, with curved hem and dropped tail. Body mapping allows a mix of breathable mesh fabrications without seams which of course means comfort.

Jankos shorts are the black Essenza Hard Court 9" made of lightweight, baggy fitting poly twill, $40. They've got an elastic waist and pockets with mesh and terry lining. Go to Fila or Tennis-Warehouse to buy.

Janko's eyewear? One of the small handful of pros who wear eyeglasses on court, his are custom Flak Jacket orange and white frames with prescription transition lenses by Oakley. They start at $465 (price with prescription) -- much cheaper as non prescription sunglasses. Other Oakley wearing tour players include: Arnaud Clement and Kirsten Flipkens.

Fila's 2009 Spring Line Debuts at the Australian. Ladies First.

   

 Agnes Szavay and Anna Chakvetadze are both wearing the Fila spring 2009 Baseline group at the Australian Open. The line is fresh and flirty, in colors fit for bright sun. The Baseline group comes in patina green, black (see on Anna practicing below), white and waterfall. The look is youthfully elegant with its simple lines and accents of a sea inspired print on the skirt, top and jacket collar. Love the pop of the dark jacket against the bright skirt above.

The line runs $48 USD for the skirt, $45 for the top and $68 jacket. There is also a dress, and multiple versions of the top for those looking for more or less coverage in different areas.

Buy at Fila or Tennis-Warehouse.

Anna Chakvetadze To Carry Wilson and Wear Fila in Australia and Beyond.

Twenty-one year old Anna Chakvetadze, ranked 18 on the Sony Ericsson WTA tour at the end of 2008, has just signed a long term agreement with Wilson. Anna will debut her Wilson [K] Blade Team Racquet and Eco Pro Tour Super Six bag at the Australian Open.

The Russian beauty has also recently signed an apparel endorsement agreement with Fila and will step out in Melbourne wearing the new Fila Spring 2009 Baseline Apparel Collection. More to come on that line which I got to preview in November...

Look for Anna's gear soon at Wilson, Fila and Tennis-Warehouse.

Image courtesy of Wilson.

Day 3 Video Highlights and On Court Fashion from Doha

Check out Day 3 tennis and court fashion highlights from Doha. Jelena Jankovic wore Reebok's KFS Shimmer Dress ($49.99) in soft black grey with cool shadow; Svetlana Kuznetsova, Fila's Summer heritage v-neck tank ($39.99) and skort ($36.99) in periwinkle; Venus Williams, eleVen by Venus Williams in a black version of her singles dress (not available at this time); Serena Williams, Nike Women's Winter Court Tank ($60) and Winter Court Skort ($60); Elena Dementieva, a to be released 2009 Yonex dress; and Dinara Safina, the adidas fall competition tank ($37.99) and competition skort ($37.99) in mono pink with white.  All except eleven are available at Tennis-Warehouse. You can find other retailers at Yonex, Reebok, eleVen by Venus Williams, Nike, Fila and adidas Tennis

Read our previous post for more info on watching this tournament.

The New Fila Women's Alfa Tennis Shoe -- A Solid Court Competitor

New this season is the new women's Fila Alfa in white, vapor and peacoat (aka navy). It's a comfy, classy looking tennis shoe made of bright white leather and breathable mesh. If your foot is a medium width with sock, not wide, not real narrow, this shoe will fit like a glove. It also offers great support with an ortholite insole. The "evergrind" sole lives up to its name and the six month sole durability guarantee backs it up. Evergrind, exclusive to Fila, means more durability and lightness for peak performance. MSRP $95. Available now at Fila and at Tennis-Warehouse. The shoe is also available in a white/silver combination.

Tursunov and Tipsarevic's Distinctive Style at Roland Garros

Making a departure from traditional style, Fila outfitted Dmitry Tursunov and Janko Tipsarevic in this performance crew neck ($48.00 USD). Its grey background with all-over yellow graphic adds even more personality to two very distinctive players. Beard, shirt, necklace, it's a hot combination on both guys.

Right now the shirt is only available at the Fila store on Madison Avenue in NYC (tel. 646-502-2100). It should be online shortly at Tennis-Warehouse and at Fila.

Images courtesy of Fila/Getty Images.

Tipsarevic's eyewear? Check out our February post, Tipsarevic rocks the court...

Fila's Summer Baseline Group, Pretty - Powerful

As seen recently at Roland Garros on Svetlana Kusnetsova and Agnes Szavay, this collection from Fila is part of a very sharp looking new 2008 Summer Baseline Group. The base color, choose white (shown here, $44.99) or navy, features a simple circle graphic that spreads from the waist up and across the front and back. The print is mimicked on the skort and dress as well. The lightweight dress (a very reasonable $ 57.99) is beautifully slimming in navy with a deep v-neck, light shirring and criss-cross white straps. If you like more coverage the sleeveless top is $39.99. The skort is $ 36.99.

Find this collection now at Tennis-Warehouse.

Great Mid-Weight Men's Tennis Warm Up From Fila

This is a quality mid-weight warm up for the guy who likes a clean cut, tailored look.  The pieces are sold as separates but together make a sharp, very comfortable combination. Both jacket and pant are part of Fila's Essenza Collection. The pieces are soundless, a strange descriptor for sure, but they don't "swish" when you move which is nice.

The Essenza Jacket offers a pull zip with elasticized cuffs/hem and zip pockets. It comes in classy black, navy and white with a suggested retail of $65 USD. The Essenza Pant ($50) has an elasticized waist and drawstring pull. Deep, ample pockets will hold balls comfortably during your warm-up. The 9.5 inch leg zips offer plenty of room to slide these on or off over your sneakers. The fabrication, (very soft, 100% polyester) holds its shape nicely, looking good even after being jammed into a tennis bag. Purchase at Fila or Tennis-Warehouse.

Bright done right.

Yup, a red shirt but it's a really good one, perfect red, not too orange or bright. It's got classic style but with light, moisture wicking performance fabric it's meant for real play. The shoulders are cut with rolled shoulder seams which help to hold the fabric in place. You will not find yourself tugging at shoulders gone astray between points. The cut is slimming and the shirt-tail hem makes this look cool and relaxed over elastic waist, drawstring shorts. Our pro wore them with Fila's 9" black shorts, loose fitting without being baggy. The short's on-seam pockets are lined with terry and mesh for sweaty hands and ventilation.

You may think boring, but the look is anything but. Together the red and black is handsome, confident and decidedly competitive. You can find the essenza solid polo and 9" mccrory short in a wide range of colors at www.fila.com or www.tennis-warehouse.com. Check out Fila's new court footwear while you're at it. We love the prossimo II. Talk about sharp looking!

Look Sharp in Fila's Collezione Group

This collection offers any team a unified look while catering to individual style requirements. You can't play with sleeves? No problem. Love a cap sleeve, polo, v-neck or racer back? This line has it all, including warm-ups. The collection comes with a base of black or white with contrasting pinstripes and accents of Chinese red -- a symbol of good luck. The black based skort is pictured above. The line is super comfortable, moves well and looks strong on court. The separates (made of micro poly spandex) can also be paired with a solid color top or bottom in black, white or red using the old mix and match concept that can truly maximize your tennis wardrobe. The Fila Collezione short sleeve top (pretty red edged scoop neck), runs $50 USD and the matching skort with built in shorts $45.  The dress is $65. Check out the complete line at www.fila.com or www.tennis-warehouse.com