Tennis fashion: Nishikori’s 2015 adidas shoes & court style

Last year, we semi-joked before the U.S. Open about a fashion battle between Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori, who share an apparel sponsor of UNIQLO. Those thoughts were accompanied by a mere hint of an actual on-court showdown in New York. We don’t claim to be prophets, but we were just as stunned as everyone when the two UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors actually squared off in the semifinals, with Nishikori winning both the fashion and the tennis duels.

This time around, we won’t make such lofty suggestions and will instead focus on a topic of fashion conversation that came up at the Citi Open: Nishikori’s bright yellow adidas shoes. The Japanese star, who ended up winning the title, talked about his new footwear and a little bit about his on-court fashion routine at an Aug. 6 press conference in Washington, D.C.

“I’m happy with the shoes,” Nishikori said of the adidas Barricade 2015 Yellow Men’s Shoes, which retail for US$129.95. “I love the bright color, too. [The adidas shoes are] actually for the U.S. Open, but I [decided] to use them beforehand.” (photo by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Nishikori estimates that he goes through one, “maybe two” pairs of shoes per week. Here he is wearing the Black/Red version of the adidas Barricade shoes. (photo by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Nishikori makes sure to bring several shirts with him to each match. “Usually three or four is enough for a match,” he said. However, it’s a different story in the Nation’s Capital’s notorious summer humidity. “Here, especially, I sweat a lot, so maybe five or six,” Nishikori said. (photo by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine)