Top 10 off-court fashion moments of the 2020 season

Whether collaborating with a fleet of a team or working solo, some ATP and WTA pros go from courting victory to clothes horsing. The pandemic-addled year 2020 led to a lot of at-home and low-key looks of leisure, but the stars still managed to shine when the time was right—and in a few cases, when certain brands and glossy magazines came calling.

Here's to the winners on this yes-they're-ranked roster, as we all enjoy a good countdown and can more than cope with the fact that style is subjective.

10

Garbine Muguruza sure did fall into autumn better than the rest of us managed, based on this glorious coat of many colors. Turns out she also had a fantastic summer, down to the woven-straw Panama hat.

9

It's possible that Johanna Konta has never looked better, in the best way. Trading her Ellesse court kit for a delightfully contrasting dress and Radley London handbag, the three-time major semifinalist made a classy sartorial statement.

8

Grigor Dimitrov continued to flex his try-hard, win-big wardrobe game. This time, a gray fedora was the quietest part of the look, based on all the layering he did, down to the trendy tie-dyed top and pant. Cue similarly skinny-genes tree for maximum-hugging effect—after all, social distancing isn't necessary when it comes to flora. Who wouldn't love to sport this all winter long, if in distanced fashion indoors?

7

Iga Swiatek's Roland-Garros was punctuated repeatedly by groundstroke winners, as she dusted off Simona Halep, Sofia Kenin, and others for the title at age 19. Then came her champion's photo shoot, with a dress from les Galeries Lafayettes at Rue de la Chaussee d'Antin, which provided the perfect full stop in her Paris campaign. The shoot took place on that department store's same roof, as it turned out. The dress, by Parisienne et Alors remains available for about $225.

6

Just when one thought Naomi Osaka couldn't outdo her US Open winner's shot, in which she wore a gorgeous orange, shortened version of traditional Haitian garb, she came back just one month ago with a similar look as testament to the heritage on her paternal side. Just so striking, with a beautiful purple panel and predominant yellow, among other details.

5

Despite the abundant animal prints and other patterns in her fashion history, near and far, perhaps nothing makes an emphatic Serena Williams style statement quite like all-black. She made that known for British Vogue's November issue, in Dolce & Gabbana ensemble and Tricker's loafers, shown below. She did the same elsewhere in her own Serena-brand black separates, replete with hot-pink Stuart Weitzman heels and her ever-present Yorkie, Chip.

Special mention: Serena and daughter Olympia relishing in their quarantine bonding, from reenacting the opening song from "Beauty and the Beast", to princess dress-up, to establishing a morning skin-care regimen early in life.

4

In flawless nearly–all-white, the ever-pensive Stefanos Tsitsipas put a lot of thought into his selfie capture and came out looking like the creme de la creme of ATP style. With his tussled locks flowing out of a sock hat, a classic pattern on his scarf, and Ray-Bans to complete the look, he gave off an effortlessly cool wintry vibe.

3

Following her ouster at Roland-Garros, Venus Williams looked radiant, youthful, and utterly chic in Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week in October, where she took in the runways alongside Alicia Vikander and more notables. That iconic LV logo splayed across her leather jacket and matching boots set off her lovely checkered minidress with zip neckline. With her curly hair perfectly set and a glad smile on her face, she looked positively glamorous and approachable at the same time.

Those in the know will recall that this is hardly Venus' (or Serena's) first photographable moment with Louis Vuitton. They appeared alongside Jamie Foxx and other luminaries in 2004 at LV's United Cancer Front Gala. What a difference more than a decade-and-a-half makes, though the House of Williams is aging exceedingly well.

2

From a vintage driving-with-gloves-on, mid-mod shoot—horn-rimmed glasses and all—to a gorgeous lavender dress and high hair, fresh-faced retiree Maria Sharapova could headline a personal Top 10 fashion moments list, even in 2020. She shares that style-maven status with Osaka and Serena. (Honorable wardrobe mentions: Sharapova's '80s-workout glam look and that textured, many-splendored cocktail dress, accessorized with an "awkward giggle.")

Still, her tennis ball–colored dress at Vanity Fair's Oscars after-party was her stop-everyone-in-their-tracks look, and pose. The quintessential professional, in every way, and the most fashion-conscious, effervescent-in-that-way tennis player ever. She and her aides put a lot of work into making it appear she's walking with an utterly bearable lightness.

1

Naomi Osaka was one of a few women to star on Vogue magazine's January 2021 cover. On an interior page, she wore a Miu Miu sweater top, as she and the magazine each shared via social in early December. More important is the Off-White mask by Virgil Abloh that covered her countenance in the shot, which could be considered the de facto cover shot of 2020 overall. It bore the name of Emmett Till, the wrongly accused 14-year-old who white murderers lynched in 1955. And it summoned her US Open statements made by wearing seven masks over seven matches (read: victories), which began with Breonna Taylor's name over Osaka's mouth. Collectively, voices such as those of Taylor, Till, and others are not silenced so much as they take safe harbor inside those who continue to work for change in their memory and honor, and for future generations.

The new year's own red carpets, magazine shoots, and free-time forays await, in due time. For now, let us know on Twitter whose look was your favorite, and whose glaring omission deserved recap notoriety. Tweet us at @Tennis and @jonscott9. Thanks for reading, and likewise for relishing in the style game.