Courting's answer to tenniscore saturation: 'Balance between real performance and fashion'

Tennis fashion has long crossed into everyday style, as shown by Lacoste and Fred Perry over the decades. But in 2021, the word “tenniscore” transformed it into a global trend that has quickly been embraced by luxury brands and sportswear labels everywhere. Within that saturated market, Courtney Kelly, founder of Courting, is betting there’s still space for innovation.

The brand released its debut collection inspired by the late-'80s and '90s tennis culture. Timed to the 2026 US Open, it blends classic tennis influences with modern silhouettes and pieces designed to move from court through the rest of the day. The launch centres on a capsule with designer Nini Molnar, wife of pro player Márton Fucsovics, who reimagined her best-selling pom bags. Former Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel stars in the campaign.

“The 80s and 90s were loud; you had so much amazing inspiration everywhere, from sports to music and fashion. I wanted to create something fun that evoked a feeling, because that’s what happens for me every time I pick up a racquet,” Kelly told FashionUnited.

The brand’s founder started playing tennis on public courts in Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island in the 80s. Later in life, after moving to Los Angeles, her passion for the sport was reignited, and she had the idea of opening a tennis-themed coffee shop. “As I kept developing the idea, I realized the bigger opportunity was in apparel and building a brand around the sport,” she said.

The timing matched with the rise of tennis fashion in pop culture. After being embraced by fashion enthusiasts on TikTok in 2021, tenniscore was all over fashion magazines in 2022. In 2024, the trend reached its peak during Zendaya’s promotional tour of “Challengers,” when she wore a variety of tennis white looks, including a custom Loewe shoe with pin-thin heels puncturing a tennis ball each. In 2025, the rise of padel and pickleball gave the trend a new boost. Wilson and other performance brands expanded into lifestyle interpretations of tennis apparel.

“I started to see a real opportunity for a tennis brand that I personally wanted to wear, one that could truly perform on the court but still have a strong fashion and cultural point of view,” she said, adding that the timing with “Challengers” and the rising popularity of Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka was "incredible," but it wasn’t the reason she started Courting.

To stand out among the tennis crowd, Kelly works with professional players who wear Courting pieces in competition and give the brand real feedback, she said, on what needs to move, breathe, and perform better. “It’s not just an endorsement relationship; it’s a design relationship. But we’re equally designing for the woman who just wants to look the part and feel amazing in what she’s wearing. That balance between real performance and fashion is where I think Courting is different. I want the clothes to feel edgy and elegant, feminine and cool, while still being able to hold up in an actual match,” Kelly said.

Whether tenniscore represents a cultural shift or another micro-trend cycle, the next couple of years will reveal. For Kelly, tennis style might evolve, but classic pieces will remain. “The polo, the skirt, the sweater, the sneaker- they’re staples. To me, the tennis aesthetic is almost a badge in your wardrobe. Maybe you’re a pro, maybe you’re not. One may never know based on the outfit,” she said.

“When you start a brand, you think you want to appeal to everyone, but a friend to all is a friend to none. I want Courting to belong to a passionate group of players, fans, fanatics, and people just discovering the sport who feel like the brand is uniquely theirs, which you'll see through recent partnerships. We try to be thoughtful about price without ever compromising the quality of our materials or product. And when I see someone wearing Courting off the court, I feel like I’ve done my job. It means Courting belongs everywhere.”