Frances Tiafoe drops 2-word reaction after leaving Nike for Lululemon in major apparel move ahead of Australian Open 2025

Frances Tiafoe is hitting the practice courts in Melbourne ahead of the 2025 Australian Open. The qualifiers for the Grand Slam event wrapped up on Thursday, January 9 and the main draw will commence on Sunday, January 12.

Tiafoe had been sponsored by Nike since 2016 - a year after he turned pro. However, in a major switch, the World No. 17 traded the famous swoosh for the Canadian brand Lululemon for the Melbourne Major.

Tiafoe announced his collaboration with the brand via an Instagram story on Friday. The story featured a glimpse of a Lululemon poster with the former World No.10's name as its brand ambassador.

Tiafoe set the picture to the background music of Kendrick Lamar's Man at the Garden and dropped a 2-word reaction with wide-eye emojis:

"New Beginnings."

Screengrab from Frances Tiafoe's Instagram @bigfoe1998

Tiafoe's kit change will include coordinated t-shirts and shorts in passion pink along with a custom-designed jacket. He is also expected to ditch his Nike Zoom GP Challenge for a pair of K-Swiss sneakers.

Tiafoe expressed his excitement at creating his on-court look while working with the brand.

“I’m really excited to wear lululemon on the court,” he said [via forbes.com]. “I got to give a lot of input into my look which feels very me and shows off my style. Working with a brand that’s newer in the tennis world is really cool because they care about both performance and style.”

The first look of Tiafoe's kit will be revealed on Monday, January 13 when he takes on Arthur Rinderknech in the opening round of the 2025 Australian Open. Tiafoe is the first ATP player to be signed by Lululemon as the brand had previously partnered with Leylah Fernandez in 2022.

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Frances Tiafoe joins Leylah Fernandez as Lululemon brand ambassador

Frances Tiafoe at the 2025 Brisbane International. Image: Getty

Before Frances Tiafoe, Lululemon had forayed into the tennis world with Leylah Fernandez as its brand ambassador in 2022. Fernandez had a breakthrough season in 2021 where she was the runner-up at the US Open.

The Canadian also reached a career-high ranking of World No. 13 in August 2022 and sported the on-court look in association with the Vancouver-based brand. The same year, she revealed her decision to partner up with Lululemon and said (via Forbes):

"I have always wanted to be original, different from the tennis players and be my own unique person," Fernandez said. "When I heard Lululemon wanted to get on the big stage in tennis, that was a great opportunity for me. I told my dad and my agents, Lululemon is the one for me."

Frances Tiafoe, known for his style both on and off court joined Fernandez as Lululemon's brand ambassador ahead of the 2025 Australian Open. The American recently showed off his fashion quotient in a photoshoot with Vogue magazine and was also spotted at the New York Fashion Week.