American sports apparel giant Nike is making waves for the wrong reasons. Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, who started her French Open campaign with a straight-sets win against Kimberly Birrell in the first round, wore an outfit almost identical to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s custom tournament outfit.
When this move by the apparel giant came to light, many fans criticized the brand for letting Cristian wear the same dress as the one created for the Belarusian’s 2025 Roland Garros campaign.
Fans Livid With Nike As Jaqueline Cristian Wears Outfit Similar to Aryna Sabalenka’s Custom Kit
Sabalenka has partnered with Nike since 2017, and she frequently promotes the brand on social media. As Sabalenka soared in the tennis world, Nike began creating custom outfits tailored for her Grand Slam appearances since the 2023 US Open, where she wore a unique red and coral racerback dress.
Sabalenka has since donned her custom-made outfits in several Grand Slam appearances. At the 2025 French Open, Sabalenka opted for an electric blue outfit paired with white Nike sneakers, which was first seen by the world in her match on Sunday. The vivid red accent on the outfit enhanced its visual appeal.
Focused and determined 🔮#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/LGCTe1i2oJ
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2025
However, Cristian also wore an almost identical outfit during her first-round match against Birrell on Monday. The 26-year-old previously partnered with Lacoste and was seen in the brand’s outfit multiple times on court. Since the partnership ended, Cristian has worn Nike outfits in her matches, though no official deal has been confirmed. Notably, she wore past designs such as Madison Keys’ 2025 Australian Open outfit in Rome and Rabat.
Several fans criticized Nike for allowing the Romanian to wear a dress similar to that of Sabalenka, with one writing, “They really don’t respect World #1’s these days, and it shows.”
They really don’t respect world #1’s these days and it shows https://t.co/5VvzLgRN5o
— Bukky (@_Ebuka) May 26, 2025
Another user slammed the apparel giant for not giving Sabalenka the proper treatment by failing to provide her with a custom outfit.
“Honestly, Aryna needs to leave Nike coz they’re not giving her the 5-star treatment she deserves. Imagine being ranked No.1 and not getting custom fits 😭,” the fan said.
One tennis fan shared a meme while reacting to this move by Nike:
Aryna: Thank you for the custom kit, I’m glad I’ll be the only player wearing it!! 😍
Jaq:
pic.twitter.com/cNIyMKZHcd https://t.co/JiAWWKol5m
— clay szn 🧡 (@VenusGauff) May 26, 2025
“She had only been wearing random Nike kits after being dropped by her previous sponsor. In Rabat last week, she actually wore Madison Keys’ AO 2025 kit,” one fan wrote.
Referring to Naomi Osaka’s first-round defeat and the all-pink, cherry blossom-inspired Sakura-themed outfit, a fan wrote, “Design budget was blown on Naomi for one viewing LOL. Lenka needs to wait for Naomi to retire.”
“Nike, because they don’t care about Big Lenka….. how you having the World number 1 and most dominant player of today share the same fits with these lower ranked players. Give it up Nike,” a fan commented.
Nike because they don’t care about Big Lenka….. how you having the World number 1 and most dominant player of today share the same fits with these lower ranked players.
Give it up Nike. https://t.co/ikK4QnOnNl pic.twitter.com/BMUZMoSqdj
— Idris Shepherd (@WilsonSirdi) May 26, 2025
Aryna Sabalenka To Face Jil Teichmann in French Open 2R
Sabalenka started her French Open campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over Kamilla Rakhimova on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday. The Belarusian now has her sights set on her second-round clash against Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann.
The duo faced off once previously at the 2022 Qatar Open, with the World No. 1 prevailing 6-2, 6-1. The Swiss player defeated Italy’s Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round to advance. The winner of the Sabalenka vs. Teichmann match, will face USA’s Danielle Collins or Serbia’s Olga Danilović in the third round.
