Changeover notes: Quinn’s arrival, the truth about custom Nike kits, and on-court friction
The latest high and lowlights from the Australian Open.
The Replay
Ethan Quinn pays off that Nobu bill and then some
Last night around 8 pm EST, I texted a tennis editor friend, “All I want for Christmas is a competitive match.” The first few days of the Australian Open didn’t really deliver on intriguing matches, despite the fact that some of the match-ups (like Shelton vs. Humbert) were expected to be tight. I found myself—someone overeager for tennis to return during the off-season—flipping through different matches and constantly grabbing my phone, bored by the lopsidedness on display.
Then I switched over to Hubi Hurkacz vs. Ethan Quinn and finally found myself sucked in by the upset-in-the-making. Going into the tournament, fans and even some second-tier media were making grand claims that Hurkacz was a contender for the title based on his United Cup performance alone. He played well, no doubt, and I’m a sucker for the sweet, elongated-Michael-Cera Pole so it was great to see him return from a long injury break in fine form. Regardless, expecting a title run was a bit OTT. Still, most people saw him as the favorite in his matchup against the 21-year-old American Ethan Quinn (world No. 80), who’s struggled at Slams since going pro in 2023 and even contemplated at times whether he made the right decision to leave college.
Quinn made it to R3 at Roland Garros last year but won the first round after Grigor Dimitrov retired up two sets to one and went five sets with Alexander Shevchenko in the second, so defeating both Tallon Griekspoor and then the gentle giant in straight sets makes this run more noteworthy. He looked far less unsure of himself yesterday than he’s sometimes appeared in past matches, playing aggressively to take most of the short points and returning Hurkacz’s powerful serve with ease. Not to mention, that forehand.
It feels like an arrival for Ethan Quinn—not in a hyperbolic sense (there will be no grand claims here), but rather that his game is getting more confident and reliable. If you love an underdog as much as I do, these moments are always a thrill to watch. As I tweeted last night, perhaps having to pay that Nobu bill was a harbinger of good things to come?
P.S. I’m deeply allergic to highlights in tennis—they just don’t hit—so I will be watching Valentová vs. Fruhvirtová and Wawrinka vs. Gea later today to further scratch that competitive match itch.
Kitted
The truth about Nike’s custom kits
You’ve all seen Osaka’s outfit-heard-round-the-world by now. In the immediate aftermath of her debuting the look on court, there was some confusion and frustration by fans regarding why Nike keeps investing their time and money into elaborate custom looks for Osaka but not Sabalenka, Sinner, or Alcaraz.
Let’s start with the fact that, to put it bluntly, Sinner and Alcaraz don’t give a shit about this stuff. That’s not a hypothesis, though it wouldn’t be a stretch if it was—I’ve heard it repeatedly from agents and brand insiders who know their teams well.
