She publicly criticized the brand on the court on Monday. The 22-year-old is known for her blunt approach on the court and she did not hold back for Nikes sake.
The tennis star was on court warming up for her first-round match with Harmony Tan when the breeze kept blowing up her skirt, affecting her serve and her capability to strike the ball comfortably. At the end of the warmup, she approached the umpire to ask for a bathroom break and made sure she did not lose her in-match bathroom privileges.
“This isn’t my fault, its Nikes fault,” she said. “The dress is so bad.”
The break was allowed and Andreescu returned to court in a crop top and skirt, both by Nike as well. It seemed to be just what she heeded and she went on to win against Tan 6-0 2-6 6-1 to progress to the second round at Flushing Meadows.
Afterward, she backtracked and apologized for her choice of words. “It was just bothering me on some forehands, I just felt like it was kind of coming up a bit,” she said, speaking of the dress.
“Obviously the wind didn’t help. But I meant no disrespect with what I said to the umpire… I could have definitely used a different choice of wording. So I apologize to anyone I disrespected. I love Nike and I hope I can be with them for the rest of my life.”
Whether or not the outburst will sit well with Nike is not yet known. The sports brand giant is also sponsoring big names at the US Open, most notably Serena Williams who sported an eye-catching look during her Opening Round win on Monday.
Williams had designed her own opening match game. It featured six layers and had 400 hand-set diamonds.