Elite tennis players have become prominent endorsers of designer fashion brands in recent years, including Carlos Alcaraz for Louis Vuitton and Coco Gauff for Miu Miu. But in recent years, tournament organizers have begun cracking down on overt attempts to turn the tennis court into a luxury showroom.
Earlier this month, Aryna Sabalenka walked out onto the court at the Rome Open carrying a $3,600 handbag from Gucci’s spring/summer 2026 collection. The current women’s world No. 1 inked an endorsement deal with the Italian fashion house in January, attending their runway shows and wearing the brand in her newly released cover shoot for Vogue. But people familiar with the matter told Sportico that the WTA is reviewing Sabalenka’s use of the Gucci handbag at the Rome tournament as a potential violation of the tour’s marketing rules for player gear.
A spokeswoman for Sabalenka’s agency, Evolve, said Sabalenka had “written approval from WTA” to carry the bag at the Rome Open. Representatives for Gucci did not have an immediate comment. A spokeswoman for the WTA declined to comment on the Sabalenka case but said in response to questions about tour rules that “players are permitted to carry tennis equipment bags featuring standard manufacturer identifications and limited commercial branding. The rules do not permit branded manufactured bags that are not considered tennis equipment.”
