A love match for Playhound

Tennis has frequently found itself lobbed into the world of fashion by the likes of pinup girl Anna Kournikova, made-for-modelling Maria Sharapova and occasional designer Serena Williams. Now Thai clothing brand Playhound by Greyhound has dressed up the ballboys, ballgirls and linesmen for the upcoming World Tennis Thailand Championship in Hua Hin.
Working in conjunction with the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand and inspired by the players’ togs of the 1970s, Playhound has amusingly added a black vertical stripe of freehand writing to the classic white polo shirt.
“It conveys the fun and independent spirit of youth,” says Ornvimol Sniwongse Na Ayudhaya, senior designer of Playhound womenswear.
“The embroidered Playhound Dogma emblem [the firm’s logo] is included, in light-green flannel in a nod to the colour of the tennis ball. The shirt, shorts and skirts also have Velcro pockets on the back. For the linesmen we’ve made the sleeves long.
“And the whole ensemble is matched with a Matt Luke cap. The challenge was to be more specific about the fabric because it has to be high quality and functional as sportswear. It has to be absorbent and quick-drying, for example.”
The “Hard-Court Runway” concept makes its debut at the tournament taking place from December 31 to January 2 at Centennial Hua Hin.
Lawn Tennis Association president Suwat Liptapanlop has hand-picked Davis Cup team members Pruchya Isarow and Nutthanon Kadchapanan to showcase Thai sportsmanship and ability at the event.
They’ll be up against six top-20 players: Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic (currently ranked No 5), Canadian Milos Raonic (No 6), David Ferrer of Spain (No 7), Richard Gasquet of France (No 14), American John Isner (No 15) and Italian Fabio Fognini (No 17).
Day 1 gets the action underway, with the semi-finals on Day 2 and the championship on Day 3, all of it broadcast live on TV. The winner gets a substantial cash prize and a trophy awarded by His Majesty the King.
Playhound by Greyhound creative director Jitsing Somboon expects the competition to be a great platform for fans of both fashion and tennis. “The runway and the tennis court are two different industries, but we’ll get to know more about each other and be inspired.”
More such tournaments are in the planning stages, says Suwat, which will bring more world-class players here, along with prestige for Thailand and global publicity for the resort town of Hua Hin. They’ll also help build investor confidence in the local tourism industry and promote tennis among Thais, he says.

BOX
A clear winner

Passes for the World Tennis Thailand Championship are available at (02) 262 3456 and www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.
Find out more at www.WorldTennisThailand.com.