The Fashion Five: Frances Tiafoe never met a funky print he didn’t like in 2023
From wearing Naomi Osaka's shoes in competition to rocking a Sierra Leone-inspired kit in Paris, there's never a dull moment when the American is involved.
No. 4: When Frances Tiafoe’s funky fits made you do a double-take
With his beaming smile and joyful laughter, it's not hard to spot Frances Tiafoe at any tennis club. And even more so in 2023, which saw the 25-year-old return to the winners circle for the first time in five years after lifting trophies in Houston and Stuttgart.
As a result, the American made his long-awaited Top 10 breakthrough—and he did so in style, too, thanks to bold fashion choices including eye-catching Nike kits and accessories packed with personal details.
Here are some of the best looks Tiafoe served up in 2023.
Tiafoe has seemingly never met a funky print he didn’t like, and at the Australian Open he went head-to-toe with Nike’s psychedelic Spring Slam collection.
It was an outfit that sparked plenty of chatter on social media and beyond, even before he played his first-round match. In fact, the New York Times called it a “swirly ‘himbo’ look” as they declared that “A Style Star Emerges” on the Melbourne courts
His peers were even asked about his kit—including good friend Coco Gauff, who had quite a few takes on Tiafoe’s fashion throughout 2023.
“It's a lot going on,” she said of his outfit in Melbourne, “but I feel like that's Frances Tiafoe. He has a lot going on. He's never quiet, he's always loud.
“I think the outfit represents that. Loud and proud, and I think that's Big Foe.”
Big Foe kept it loud and proud throughout the spring, adding sleeves and rocking a different—but no less eye-catching—colorway during the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami.
But Foe’s fashion is more than just bright colors and bold prints. While he famously has to bring “20 extra shirts” to change into during each match because of how much he sweats, Tiafoe also finds space in his court bag for meaningful accessories.
Tiafoe has been rocking Naomi Osaka’s co-branded Nike shoes since last year—in fact, one of Baseline’s Top Fashion Moments of 2022 featured Tiafoe sporting the Japanese player’s dog Butta on his sneakers on the way to US Open semifinals.
He’s continued to wear them this year, resulting in even more funky fashion combos. He paired his Melbourne and Sunshine Double outfits with Osaka's Nike Court Air Zoom GP Turbo shoes in a 'Hibiscus Flowers' colorway. (See photos above)
My favorite Frances Tiafoe kit of the year went under the radar during Roland Garros, thanks in part to his third-round exit. But the all-black Nike outfit still stands out for a number of reasons, especially because it was designed in collaboration with rapper IDK who, like Tiafoe, hails from Maryland with Sierra Leonese descent.
The black kit features the colors of Sierra Leone and Ghana’s flags, and also name drops Freetown, the former's capital and largest city, on the warm-up jacket and court bag. In Paris, Tiafoe completed the look with a pair of Osaka’s Art Nouveau-inspired black and floral Nike shoes.
“Shoutout to @idk / @thr33.dot for designing a fit inspired by our shared Sierra Leone heritage, complete with an exclusive pair of Air Max 97's,” Tiafoe wrote on Instagram.
The post prompted world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz to ask in the comments: “Wow 🔥 Where can i get those 97’s? 😱🤯” (That’s a bit of a running joke between them, as Tiafoe later asked Alcaraz to hook him up with a pair of Nike’s Mac Attack x Travis Scott shoes.)
Tiafoe's most memorable look of the year came at the US Open, where he stole the show in a teal outfit that featured a sleeveless tank with another funky pink, tan and maroon print.
Not that it impressed our resident WTA fashion critic Coco much, with the 19-year-old ranking him dead last in the three-way battle of sleeveless kits between Tiafoe, Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. (Watch video above)
“Frances is a little bit upset because I said Ben had a better outfit than him,” Gauff laughed during a US Open press conference ahead of Tiafoe’s quarterfinal clash with Shelton.
“Frances told me at the French Open that he had something crazy planned for the US Open. I was like, ‘You're wearing confetti!’” she added, cackling. “I said Carlos looked better. He's going to hate this (smiling). Love you, Frances!”
But it’s not just about making a statement on court, as Tiafoe has showed off more of his personal style in 2023—and thankfully, his penchant for unexpected color combinations remains just as present off the court, too.
For GQ’s Men of the Year Party last month, Tiafoe turned heads in a bold orange suit paired with a black shirt. He completed the look with a pearl necklace—an increasingly trendy menswear accessory that’s been recently spotted on the likes of Bad Bunny, Pete Davidson, Harry Styles and more.
Clearly Tiafoe isn’t afraid to dabble in fashion, either—from attending Fashion Week to modeling for Calvin Klein, and more—meaning we may see even more fire fits from Big Foe in 2024.