In what can only be described as the most on-brand way possible to follow up 2000 consecutive days of tennis writing, today’s post shares my love of crafting custom T-shirt designs as a promotional companion to the site. Much like the writing of the blog, my T-shirt craft has evolved over time. The earliest designs were shamelessly emblazoned with my URL and aimed squarely at raising awareness of the site itself. However, over the years, I’ve gravitated toward messages that speak more broadly to the culture and society of tennis. The designs are still branded—my logo always sneaks in somewhere—but the goal has shifted from marketing to messaging. And it’s undeniable that the messaging is getting a little… spicier.
While the Trophy Husband has been a good sport about wearing his “Trophy Husband” emblazoned shirts, I appreciate everyone who has stepped up with a willingness to showcase my gear. I’ve handed out hats and T-shirts as contest prizes, and have been known to send items to people who have supported the site or my tennis in some way. A few people have asked me for Trophy Husband shirts, but there can be only one Trophy Husband. However, his longtime doubles partner, John Garza, does have some “Trophy Husband in Training” shirts, a phrase that he coined himself.
One of my more recent designs is a plain white T-shirt featuring a single black word: Focus. I have been wondering if wearing that shirt in and around recreational tennis tournaments could potentially be construed as “coaching” in certain contexts. On the one hand, when a player wears a shirt (or other clothing item) with any text on it, that would arguably fall under the same category as carrying written notes onto the court. That practice is explicitly allowed under both USTA and ITF rules. However, if a spectator shows up courtside wearing the same shirt and points to it during a match, that would start to blur the line between motivational apparel and real-time coaching, which is illegal.
At the same time, any opponent standing across the net from me also has the opportunity to read “Focus” and receive the same tactical nudge. I’m not sure a USTA official would ever ask someone to turn their shirt inside out unless the content was truly offensive. Still, it’s a curious intersection of apparel and regulations nonetheless.
One of the lesser-known truths about Fiend at Court is that I enjoy the creative crafting side of this endeavor almost as much as the writing itself. Designing shirts, wrestling with clip art, and embedding sly messages into wearable art is pure joy. And now, with the recent acquisition of a 3D printer—as all the cool kids in engineering are doing these days —my creative palette is about to expand dramatically.
