Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and others upped the glam factor in the WTA’s annual player portraits on Friday, two days before the WTA Finals begin at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The shoot looked nothing like the group photograph that usually opens finals week.
The eight singles qualifiers and the doubles field were photographed as spectators and superfans, with stylist Danyul Brown dressing the singles players in Fall/Winter 2026 and Resort 2027 collections from major fashion houses.
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Elena Rybakina wore Dior, Coco Gauff donned Miu Miu, and Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva were dressed in head-to-toe Chanel. Elina Svitolina was in Tom Ford, Karolina Muchova in Balenciaga, and Aryna Sabalenka paired a Gucci jacket, skirt, shoes and socks with a Nike bandeau, a mix of luxury and sportswear that fitted the courtside brief more naturally than a gown would have.
Linda Noskova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, went her own way with outerwear from The Frankie Shop, Missoni leather shorts and Miista knee-high boots.
“My inspiration was more streetwear, more layers, and a little bit of a non-traditional look than what you’d expect for a tennis event,” she said. “Tennis is such a big platform and it can give us a voice outside of the court, which is the most important thing.”
Maren Taylor styled the doubles players. Nicole Melichar-Martinez drew on Julia Roberts’ polo-match outfit in “Pretty Woman,” wearing a Ronny Kobo top and shorts with a Retrofete leather jacket and Stuart Weitzman heels. Elise Mertens chose a vintage Dior set with ZBY heels.
The WTA Finals will kick off on Sunday, with the top eight singles players and eight doubles teams playing for a share of a $10 million purse. Coco Gauff is in a group with Rybakina, Pegula and Noskova; Svitolina, Sabalenka, Andreeva and Muchova make up the other half.
This year’s format replaces the traditional group photo, which the WTA describes as a personality-led approach celebrating each qualifier’s individual style. However, fans’ perspectives and widespread speculation suggest other factors are at play. Several reports have linked the missing group shot to the long-standing refusal of Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina to pose with Russian and Belarusian players as a mark of protest.
After WTA Finals, Coco Gauff set to compete at the United Cup
Coco Gauff will not have much of an offseason following the championship finale. The American superstar’s name appears on the provisional entry list for the 2027 United Cup. The marquee mixed-team tournament is scheduled to launch the new season across Perth and Sydney starting Jan. 1. Tennis Temple reported that Gauff and Taylor Fritz will spearhead the American squad for a third straight campaign.
Gauff debuted in the event in 2025 and left with the title, beating Iga Świątek 6-4, 6-4 in the final before Fritz closed out the tie against Hubert Hurkacz. While preliminary entry lists are not final lineups—official player registration concludes Nov. 9—the Western Australian government confirmed that competing nations and round-robin groupings will be unveiled on Nov. 12.
The 2027 tournament is set for 18 teams across the two cities, with men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles deciding each tie. For Coco Gauff, it is a chance to bank competitive hard-court matches before the Australian Open, in a format where she has already shown she is comfortable.
Edited by Shyam Kamal
