Tennis fans recently expressed anger and frustration after an amateur player wore Aryna Sabalenka’s signature Nike kit at the 2026 Australian Open. The amateur player, Tania Cakarevic, donned the Nike kit while participating in the second edition of the AO 1 Point Slam.
Fans React to Aryna Sabalenka’s Signature Australian Open Nike Kit Worn by Amateur Player During AO 1 Point Slam
Sabalenka has been part of the Nike family for over 9 years, joining the company in 2016. She debuted her first Grand Slam Nike kit at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, her first Major main draw appearance.
This year, Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024, will wear the NikeCourt Slam women’s Dri-FIT tennis dress. The dress features fuchsia, orange, and black wavy patterns with blue piping and is designed to honor Australia’s coastlines and surf culture. It is currently available for purchase in Australia for AU$170, but has not yet been released in the United States.
Before the main draw of the 2026 Australian Open, the AO 1 Point Slam took place, during which Cakarevic wore Sabalenka’s signature Nike tennis kit. This prompted anger among many tennis fans, who took to social media to express their frustration that Nike had sold the kit before the world No. 1 could debut it at the Grand Slam tournament.
“why is it never a signature kit only for her 😭,” a fan posted.
Another fan revealed that Nike had already started selling Sabalenka’s Australian Open tennis kit in stores in Melbourne even before the tournament commenced.
“no because it was literally already in nike stores in melb here like a week ago lmfao,” a fan wrote.
A fan argued that it couldn’t truly be Sabalenka’s “signature” kit if “commoners” were already wearing it.
“how exactly is it aryna’s signature kit if commoners are wearing it,” a fan posted.
Here are some other fan reactions:
“Not even surprised,” a fan wrote.
“Why do they treat her like this at Nike ?😭” a fan posted.
Sabalenka is the top seed at the 2026 Australian Open and will begin her campaign against wild card Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah in the first round. This match will mark the first time the two players face each other.
The winner of the first round match between Sabalenka and Rajaonah at the Melbourne Major will advance to play either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan in the second round.
