The Hard Court Index: Tunnel walks, Uniqlo’s Raducanu rollout, and Lululemon’s desert takeover
A new recurring series breaking down the wins and misfires shaping tennis fashion, sponsorships, and media.
In tennis, the fashion news tends to come in waves, often reaching a crescendo around big tournaments as it has this past week at Indian Wells. But noise doesn’t always equate to successful execution, so in the first edition of The Hard Court Index, I’m unpacking what’s gone right and wrong. Consider this recurring series your go-to for tennis business analysis, particularly as it relates to fashion, media, and sponsorships—where the sport is succeeding culturally and where it’s falling short.
Each topic gets a Court Index rating—Low, Medium, or High—based on how effectively it moves the needle for tennis culture and business.
Before we get into it, a quick subscription note: After a few requests, I’m now offering custom company subscriptions for groups of 10 people or more, with the discount dependent on group size. If you’re interested, shoot me a note at jessica@hard-court.com and I can share more info. As a reminder for everyone else, you can get 17% off group subscriptions of 2 people or more—tell your hitting partners, your tennis coach, or your mom who has incisive opinions about the tours (is that just mine?)
Keep reading for an analysis of the ATP Tour’s muted “tunnel walk” attempt, Uniqlo’s confusing rollout of the Emma Raducanu partnership, and Lululemon’s new benchmark for tournament sponsorship.
