Words: Rachel Cavanaugh
Portraits: Vivian Kim
When Maria Sharapova stepped onto the court at the 2006 US Open wearing a little black dress that shimmered under the lights, it was a moment tennis had never seen before.
Trimmed with crystals and tailored with precision, the Nike ensemble merged sport and fashion in a way that hadn’t been done on that stage, at that level — bold, unapologetic and impossible to ignore. The dress wasn’t just a look. It was a statement.
Designed by Martin Lotti, Nike’s then global creative director for women’s training, “The Dress” quickly became a cultural flashpoint: proof that performance wear could carry elegance and personality without sacrificing function.
"That dress helped establish a new intersection, one that now defines the modern landscape of tennis apparel."
Martin Lotti, Nike Chief Design Officer
“At the time, sport and fashion weren’t as intertwined as they are today,” Lotti recalls. “That blending of worlds was still very new. That dress helped establish a new intersection, one that now defines the modern landscape of tennis apparel. I like to call it ‘unexpected performance.’ It looked like a dress but it was built to perform at the highest level. The message: You don’t have to compromise style to achieve performance.”
Now, nearly 20 years later, Sharapova is returning to the court in another black dress, this time as an inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Once again, Nike is dressing her for the moment.
“It’s a full-circle moment not just for me personally but for Nike,” Lotti says. “To be part of her journey from that win to her induction into the Hall of Fame, it’s incredible.”
To celebrate a partnership that has spanned nearly two decades, Lotti — now Nike’s Chief Design Officer — and his team have reimagined the original dress for the occasion. The most iconic details remain —the rounded neckline, the striking black silhouette, the subtle shimmer — but this version has been refined with a longer hemline and pleated skirt to suit the tone of the evening.
The new look also includes a series of personal touches: five stars etched into the dress to represent Maria’s Grand Slam titles; a sleek, tailored jacket fastened with a custom button computationally designed from an algorithm based on her son’s birthday; a modernized metallic hairpiece; a wraparound Swoosh bracelet; and a custom expression of Nike’s Shox Z, a new sportswear silhouette launching later this year.
Together, the pieces form a head-to-toe look rooted in legacy, honoring where the tennis legend has been while reflecting who she is today.
“We wanted to make that little black dress again, the same one people remembered but elevated for what this occasion means,” Lotti explains. “She’s not here to compete but to be celebrated. So we evolved it. We made it a bit more formal, a bit more reflective. We kept the soul of the original but designed it for now.”
"We kept the soul of the original but designed it for now.”
Martin Lotti, Nike Chief Design Officer
That soul — a balance of performance, style and story — has always been at the center of Nike’s partnership with Sharapova, who explains that seeing the new design brought back memories of the original and everything that came along with it.
“It was such a pivotal moment,” Maria says. “I remember the first time that I tried the dress. It felt so special. It was something I felt truly confident in. I could move freely and it was like an extension of my style, but it served a very athletic purpose. I could do all the movements that it required me to do but yet I felt very elegant and strong.”
That duality, elegance alongside strength, continues to define Sharapova’s signature style today. As an athlete, business owner, and mother, she tends to gravitate toward timeless pieces that blend confidence, comfort and purpose.
“I still wear pieces that I’ve had for years,” she says. “I think there's something beautiful about having that special sweater or special dress that you just know will make you feel like who you are. It’s a part of your identity. This black dress is very much like that.”
"I think there's something beautiful about having that special sweater or special dress that you just know will make you feel like who you are. It’s a part of your identity. This black dress is very much like that.”
Maria Sharapova, Nike Athlete and 5x Major winner
She remembers how, at the time, yes, the dress did more than turn turned heads, but it also. It challenged expectations — not only of what athletes could wear and but how they could show up on the court. Lotti agrees, noting that it was a bold step into uncharted territory.
“Playing in that dress, Maria was powerful and graceful,” he says. “It broke stereotypes, showing that. You didn’t have to be just one thing. You could be both.”
And that’s when Nike is at its best, Lotti says — when it challenges the status quo. “The best projects are the ones where we’re trying something new. Something that’s never been done,” he says. “That’s when Nike reinvents itself, pushes the athlete and pushes sport forward.”
Ultimately, the dress, both then and now, stands as a testament to the brand’s enduring relationship — with Sharapova and with all of its athletes.
“We say our athletes are family,” Lotti says. “And this is what that means. Their dreams become our dreams. We’re there for the highs and the lows. We’re there when no one’s watching and we’re there when the whole world is.”