While Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach made a swift and slick game of archival pulls and stretched method dressing to its highest limits for the actor’s Challengers press tour, it’s real-life tennis star Destanee Aiava who’s showing off her game both on the court and in the eBay auction arena.
A career-shifting moment, Australia’s Aiava propelled herself back to beat Belgium’s Greet Minnen on Monday night (January 13) at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. It was a starry triumph, eight years after her initial debut, and time off to work on the mental challenges that came with tour and whether she wanted to even continue pursuing professional tennis. This is her first grand slam victory.
The mantra for the 24-year-old’s current run seems to, simply, be do as champions do—and dress. Aiava wore a navy, cobalt, and sky blue adidas x Stella McCartney dress worn by Danish tennis legend Caroline Wozniacki at the 2013 US Open, which she picked up on eBay.
Photo: Al Bello (Getty Images)
“I’ve worn adidas by Stella McCartney for so long that everybody on the team knows my body type and what works for me,” Wozniacki told Vogue back in 2017 of her own allegiance to the brand. “I think every woman likes to look good and [cares about] what she’s wearing, but at the same time, I need to feel good so I don’t have to think about anything else when I’m out on the court.”
Aiava has spent her first week reviving iconic looks from tennis champions: in the qualifying rounds, she wore a pink and gray dress that Maria Sharapova wore for the 2012 US open semifinals. Second, when up against Hungary’s Panna Udvardy, Aiava sported a pink and purple adidas dress that Ana Ivanovic wore at the 2010 US Open.
