The new look of the Australian Open. It’s all about the ball kids

While luxury labels fight over the leading men and women of tennis, US label Ralph Lauren continues its stranglehold on the people that really matter – the ball kids.

Forget Australian Open reigning men’s singles champion Jannik Sinner with his Gucci bags and Louis Vuitton ambassador Carlos Alcaraz, the ball kids, on-court staff and 4000 workers at Melbourne Park in January will be dressed top to toe by Ralph Lauren for the sixth consecutive year.

Gucci, Louis Vuitton and French luxury label Miu Miu, which partners with Coco Gauff, have to cross their fingers that their spokes-models with strong serves make it through to the latter stages. Meanwhile, the Ralph Lauren uniforms are as ever-present on centre court as over-preened TWAGS and overenthusiastic fans.

Ball kids Alessia McGrath, 13, and Taj Fearn-Wannan, 15, wearing the Ralph Lauren uniforms for the Australian Open 2026. Credit: Alex Coppel

“We’re seeing our fans pay more and more attention to fashion and glamour and the way they express themselves and show up at the event,” says Cedric Cornelis, chief commercial officer at Tennis Australia. “Ralph Lauren has played a big role in helping us make the event more beautiful and more inclusive.

“This year [the uniforms] are a blend of being colourful, having some Australian inspiration, but also being very, very classy.”

The uniforms have evolved since Ralph Lauren came on board as the tournament’s official outfitter in 2021, when staff bounced across the court searching for stray volleys wearing long-sleeved tops in a slightly less classy, luminous tennis green.

The Ralph Lauren uniforms for the 2026 Australian Open will be available online in November.

Since then, Lauren’s team has refined the formula, confining the high-vis elements to a collar with a white horizontal stripe across a navy background, adding an on-trend rugby top feel. With the polo player logo, it’s a successfully stylish sports mash-up.

“The staff are heavily invested in the uniforms,” says Cornelis. “Long after the tournament, you see people wearing them in the office with tremendous pride.”

Neon sneakers contribute to the playful approach of this year’s kit, which differs from Lauren’s more conservative navy and blue designs for Wimbledon, where the brand has been official outfitter since 2006, and the vivid colour blocking for the US Open, where it has supplied uniforms since 2005.

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“Tennis has always been more than just a sport,” Lauren said in a 2023 social media post. “It’s a celebration of tradition and sportsmanship on a global stage. We are endlessly proud to be part of this special history, dressing fans and on-court ball crew and officials of the US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open.”

Last month, a frail but determined Lauren, 85, took a bow at the Ralph Lauren show at New York Fashion Week. His gentle smile was warranted. Sales of merchandise at this year’s Australian Open contributed to a 7 per cent rise in revenue to $US7.1 billion ($10.7 billion) for the 2025 financial year.

Tennis fans can add to Lauren’s swollen coffers when the uniforms appear online in November. The popular commemorative tennis towels are on sale this month.

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