Adidas has the future pin-up boy of tennis on its books in Stefanos Tsitsipas but it has some work to do in ensuring his play does the talking.
It was impossible to ignore the Greek star's shorts during his 6-4 6-2 7-5 defeat against Daniil Medvedev on Friday night thatsent the red-hot Russian into a final against Novak Djokovic.
Everything was in place as Tsitsipas entered Rod Laver Arena. His magnificent mane was secured by a stylish headband, his socks were pulled high and his tennis ball coloured shirt fit the occasion.
But it was a muggy 30C in Melbourne and with an at time impassable backline presence in Medvedev across the net, it quickly became sweaty work for the 22-year-old.
That's to be expected at this, or any level, of professional sport. But apparently Adidas' apparel developers hadn't accounted for it.
The olive green colouring of Tsitsipas' shorts are an absolute no-go for anyone who perspires easily. Any sweat will immediately create an unmissable dark patch and that's exactly what happened to Tsitsipas in all the wrong areas not long into the first set.
Stefanos Tsitsipas' shorts were visibly drenched by the time he left Rod Laver Arena. Photo / AP
Viewers couldn't look away as the match and his dignity slipped from Tsitspas' grasp.
"Millions of dollars of material technology research and they don't do the 'does it look like he sh*t himself when he sweats' test? Astounding," a tennis fan wrote on Twitter.
"Those shorts are very problematic. Adidas has a lot to answer for," added Roni Shewan.
"Stefanos Tsitsipas looks pretty flat out there, and his butt looks incredibly wet," tweeted tennis journo Ben Rothenberg. "Both concerning in their own ways."
"For me, the strangest storyline of this match so far: Tsitsipas left the court for a break between the second and third sets. Why DIDN'T he change his sweaty, sweaty shorts?" added the Twitter account for The Tennis Podcast.
What's weirder is it wasn't the first time the world number six had worn the shorts this tournament – or had issues with them showing his sweat.
The sweat on these shorts make Tsitsipas look like he’s had a very bad accident #AusOpen
In the end Tsitsipas was spared a lengthy embarrassment as Medvedev wrapped up the match in two hours to spark hope he has a genuine chance of becoming the first player to beat Djokovic in an Australian Open final.
Medvedev, now into his second grand slam decider on the back of a 20-match winning streak, said the world number one has "more things to lose" on Sunday.
Djokovic, with 17 major titles, has won all eight of his Australian Open finals and is looking to close the gap on the record of 20 Slam trophies held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
