"Somehow even worse than Carlos Alcaraz's" - Fans slam Nike over Jannik Sinner's 'ugly' Australian Open 2026 kit amid star players' departure

Jannik Sinner's apparel sponsor Nike has courted the wrath of tennis fans because of the Italian's outfit for the 2026 Australian Open. Amid reports of Emma Raducanu ditching Nike to sign with Uniqlo in the new season, some fans urged Sinner to make a similar move.

All eyes will be on Sinner at the Australian Open as he looks to halt Carlos Alcaraz's Career Slam attempt and win his third consecutive title at the event. The World No. 2 is set to don a yellow and white Nike kit for his daytime matches at the Melbourne Slam and change into a mustard ensemble for his night clashes.

Although Alcaraz's Nike outfit failed to impress fans recently, a few of them claimed that Jannik Sinner's look was even worse in comparison, while others complained about the "awful" and "ugly" color choices.

"I thought alcaraz's outfit was the worst but here comes sinner's😭 Wth is wrong with nike," one fan commented. "Somehow this is even worse than Carlos', " a fan shared. "Awful colors," another wrote. "These outfits are all inexpressibly ugly," a fan posted.

Nike continued to face severe criticism, with fans accusing the brand of having "given up" on tennis and suggesting that the World No. 2 would be better off ending their partnership altogether.

"Every time i think nike can’t get worse, they somehow exceed my expectations in the worst way possible," one fan wrote. "Lol yeah they want him to go with Adidas like Felix did 😂😂," another fan chimed in. "Nike has given up on tennis," a fan posted. "He needs to leave Nike," said yet another.

Interestingly, fans' calls for Jannik Sinner may not be far-fetched, since Emma Raducanu is rumored to follow in the footsteps of Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz, both of whom parted ways with Nike in recent times to work with brands like Vuori and Hugo Boss.

Jannik Sinner backed to win Australian Open 2026 by former pro after Carlos Alcaraz's split with Juan Carlos Ferrero

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz - Source: Getty

Former Australian tennis player Todd Woodbridge has shared a brutal prediction for Carlos Alcaraz's Australian Open 2026 hopes after the Spaniard's split with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. In a video shared by the official Australian Open Instagram account, Woodbridge expressed his belief that the World No. 1 would find it very difficult to win a Grand Slam title in the wake of the shocking move.

"I think it's going to make it very difficult for Carlos to win a Major next year. We know he's good enough, but that change at this point of his career, I find it mind-boggling. We're talking about one of the greatest duos of coaching partnerships that our game has seen," Woodbridge said.

Woodbridge also said that Alcaraz struggled to perform at his best in Ferrero's absence and would require time to adjust to the new setup. The Australian suggested that this would allow Jannik Sinner free rein to clinch his third consecutive Australian Open title.

"When Juan Carlos hasn't been around the last few years, Alcaraz does not play as good, and you can see him looking out into the stands. He's actually a little unsure of himself, and it's going to take months to settle down. And then, will he settle? In the meantime, he may give others the opportunity to get some victories. Given that change, I think Jannik has the upper hand and he gets the three-peat," he added.

Before the Melbourne Slam, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will battle it out on the court in a highly anticipated blockbuster exhibition match in Incheon, South Korea, on January 10.

Edited by Urvi Mehra