Meet Courting: The New Tennis Brand In Every Fashion Girl's Closet

We all had a strong feeling that tennis fashion was back after watching Challengers—and after the method dressing press tour that Zendaya embarked on. Did Zendaya and Law Roach singlehandedly make tennis prep cool again, and have us all shopping for polo shirts and pleated skirts? Perhaps. And have pro tennis players like Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and Venus Williams affirmed that tennis and fashion are indeed intertwined through their statement-making on-court looks and designer collaborations? Absolutely. And for us non-athletes wanting to feel some adjacency to the chic, elite, and high-fashion world of tennis, the new tennis apparel brand Courting Tennis makes it all possible. Co-signed by It-girls, influencers, and models like Shanina Shaik, Bec Adams, Meeka Hossain, and Nesrin Danan, it's making waves in the fashion world for its vintage-inspired aesthetic and on-to-off-court designs.

Founder Courtney Kelly's relationship with tennis runs deep. Before gigs in the BCBGMaxAzria marketing department and at publications like Forbes, The Atlantic, and Vox, she grew up playing tennis in New York City throughout the '90s when there was an undeniable grit and style was influenced by streetwear. "I wanted to design a collection rooted in what I remember loving to play in, but also everything happening culturally around that time: fashion, music, and the energy of New York in the '90s," she says. "There was this balance of tradition and expression. You had classic tennis whites and pleated skirts, but then these unexpected pops of color, personality, and attitude were layered in. That really stayed with me."

What was so notable about tennis in the late '80s and '90s is that were wasn't a sense of exclusivity or elitism. In New York City especially, players practiced on the courts of public parks and it was truly a sport for everyone. For this reason, Kelly leaned into the vintage aesthetic of those eras for the first collection. Her goal was to create pieces that for those who have always played tennis, those who are just discovering the sport, and those who don't play at all. In result, a collection inspired by street art, graffiti, punk, and hip-hop with notable pops of color but with an underlying preppiness that can't be ignored was born—pieces that can be worn both on the court and off. "That contrast, polished but with an edge, is very much how I see both tennis and style," Kelly says. "Even down to my own experience, I grew up wearing a uniform, pleated skirt, and a collared shirt, and there’s something about that silhouette that I keep coming back to. It feels nostalgic, but also incredibly relevant when you reinterpret it through a modern lens."

Recently, a collaboration with it-girl and reality TV royalty Whitney Port served as a major moment for the brand—and it came together pretty serendipitously. Port's husband grew up in NYC with Kelly and now, Kelly and Port share the same tennis coach. Together, the two created a capsule collection of sweatshirts, tennis dresses, and more, combining their shared fashion expertise and blending their respective West Coast and East Coast upbringings.

After starting her own business, Kelly has walked away with some tidbits of advice. Long story short: the process isn't one size fits all. "There’s this idea that you need to have everything figured out before you start, and that there’s a 'right' way to build a business," she says. "Of course, strategy matters, but it’s never a straight line. There’s no formula where you do one thing and success follows immediately. You have to be willing to move, adjust, and trust your own perspective, even when it doesn’t look like anyone else’s. I also think there’s a misconception that mistakes are a bad thing, or that strong founders avoid them. They don’t. They learn from them quickly. I’ve leaned into mine, and I don’t regret them."