Reports: Rafael Nadal's Nike outfit for Australian Open 2021 revealed
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal will start his 2021 season at the Australian Open, which is reportedly set to start in February - three weeks after the originally scheduled date. According to multiple sources, an official email has been sent to players, coaches and managers by Tennis Australia outlining the dates and quarantine requirements.
The COVID-19 protocols in the country continue to be a matter of concern for all the top players, including World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. But Rafael Nadal's participation at the Australian Open seems all but confirmed, as pictures of his new Nike outfit for the tournament have started doing the rounds of social media.
Rafael Nadal wore the Nike Court Aeroreact outfit in Paris this year, where he won a historic 13th Roland Garros title. At the 2021 Australian Open Nadal will reportedly be wearing the same line of Nike apparel, albeit with a change in the color combination.
The Spaniard's Australian Open outfit consists of a coral Nike Court T-shirt, which will be a part of the company's Spring '21 line too. Nadal will be pairing that with white shorts that have a purple lining on the side.
Nike have also reportedly unveiled a 'Vamos Rafa' hat to go with the whole get-up. The hat is in two different color variants - coral and white - with the Spanish Bull logo prominently displayed on each.
Rafael Nadal has sported a vast range of colors on the court lately, and his sharp outfit for Melbourne continues in the same vein.
A departure from sleeveless for Rafael Nadal?
Rafael Nadal ditched his signature sleeveless look in 2009, going on to don more traditional on-court apparel for the next decade. But he returned to sleeveless at the 2018 Australian Open, and has persisted with it ever since; the Spaniard has worn sleeveless shirts in each of his last three Melbourne outings.
Nadal sported the widely emulated grey sleeveless shirt at the Australian Open two years ago, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Croatia's Marin Cilic. The Spaniard had a better run the year after that, reaching the final of the 2019 Australian Open wearing an orange sleeveless top.
Rafael Nadal wore a sleeveless shirt at this year's Australian Open as well, taking to the court in a bright pink number. But for 2021 he seems set to go back to more traditional attire, which might disappoint some of his fans.