ATP Tour

Shark shades spell success for Krawietz/Puetz in Nitto ATP Finals clash

Fans may have been wondering whether Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz were trying to embrace a new team identity with their walk-on attire Thursday at the Nitto ATP Finals. Alas, the story behind the doubles pair’s 'shark shades' is rather one of logistics.

Krawietz and Puetz each walked on court in the extravagant sunglasses for their final Peter Fleming Group match against Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, in what was a thinly veiled parody of their Italian opponents’ own walk-on eyewear this week in Turin. When quizzed on their choice of design for the light-hearted moment, Puetz explained that the options were limited.

That's how you make an entrance 😎 🦈#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/F5JbM92PPF

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 13, 2025

“I ordered some glasses on Amazon a couple of days ago,” the 37-year-old told ATPTour.com. “We had the idea, but then we wanted to keep it serious because it is an important tournament. But today we were out, and the Italians were through, so there’s no harm done if we get the sunglasses.

“Amazon didn’t come through, they didn’t get delivered, so we found a little store last night. It was my wife actually. She kind of knows where those kinds of stores are. So we went there last night. It was the only thing they had, so we went with the sharks. We ordered [ones with] a star originally, but they didn’t get delivered.”

Krawietz joked: “It’s a shark contract. We have to wear them. We had to come up with something, because we saw the Italians wearing the sunglasses. So we brought them and it worked out.”

Whether related to their new walk-on style or not, Krawietz and Puetz rounded out their Nitto ATP Finals campaign with a 7-6(5), 4-6, 13-11 triumph against Bolelli and Vavassori to finish their Peter Fleming Group campaign with a 1-2 record. Not enough for the 2024 titlists to earn a semi-final spot, but perhaps an indication that the shark-style is worth preserving with…

“We have to wear them all the time now so that we win,” acknowledged Krawietz, who has been named alongside Puetz in Germany’s roster for next week’s Davis Cup Final 8. “We’ve never lost while wearing them.”