Vanity Fair sports cover: Alcaraz, Wilson, Mbappé front global edition

James Okafor | GlobalBeat

Tennis world number 3 Carlos Alcaraz, WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé share the cover of Vanity Fair’s first-ever global sports issue.

The glossy released three versions of the magazine on Tuesday, each headlined “The Champions Issue: Global Sports Portfolio” and photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

Spanish prodigy Alcaraz, 21, posed courtside in Paris holding a racket. Las Vegas Aces center Wilson, 29, stood 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) against an American flag backdrop. French captain Mbappé, 26, wore his country’s national jersey inside an empty Bernabéu stadium.

The triple cover marks the fashion title’s most ambitious sports project since Anna Wintour took editorial control in 1988.

Alcaraz told the magazine he keeps an “obsessive” notebook of every opponent’s weaknesses. “I write down serve patterns, what they do at 30-30, even how they bounce the ball on break point,” the 4-time Grand Slam winner said.

Wilson revealed she watches three hours of film daily during the WNBA season. “I’m hunting tendencies like a detective,” said the 2-time champion who averaged 26.9 points last year. “The league keeps evolving. If you blink, you get left.”

Mbappé said his $180 million transfer to Madrid changed nothing about his routine. “I still arrive 90 minutes early, shoot the same five spots, eat the same pre-match pasta,” he told Vanity Fair. “The shirt is white now, but the job is identical.”

The issue hits newsstands as Alcaraz prepares for the French Open, Wilson defends her Olympic gold in July, and Mbappé chases a second straight Champions League crown.

Photographer Leibovitz shot the athletes across three continents over 10 days in March. She used natural light only for Alcaraz at Roland Garros, stadium floodlights for Mbappé, and a Manhattan studio for Wilson. The magazine flew 40 crew members to each location.

Vanity Fair executive editor Michelle Ruiz said the project cost “well into seven figures” but declined to give exact numbers. “These are the faces their respective sports want to project globally,” she told journalists on a Zoom call. “We wanted tennis, basketball and football represented by winners who still feel fresh.”

The magazine printed 1.2 million copies worldwide, triple its normal press run. Newsstand sales in the United States, Britain and France begin Thursday. Digital editions drop Wednesday for subscribers.

Spanish Vogue publisher Condé Nast霸权 reports the covers already drove record pre-orders on its European websites. Brazil, Japan and Australia will receive shipments next week.

Alcaraz coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said the shoot delighted his team. “Carlos grew up reading these magazines in Murcia,” Ferrero told radio station Cadena SER. “Seeing him between Mbappé and Wilson shows how far Spanish tennis has travelled.”

Wilson posted her cover on Instagram with the caption “From Horseshoe Bend, South Carolina to Vanity Fair. Mom, we made it.” The post gathered 2.4 million likes in 6 hours, making it her most-liked non-game content.

Mbappé’s cover triggered $3 million worth of Madrid jersey sales online within 12 hours, club officials told GlobalBeat. The Spanish giants had stocked 50,000 Mbappé #9 shirts anticipating demand.

French sports daily L’Équipe dedicated its front page to the triple cover splash. “Mbappé joins Ali, Jordan, Zidane in the Vanity Fair pantheon,” the paper wrote.

The magazine timed publication for maximum impact. Alcaraz opens his Roland Garros campaign on Sunday against Argentine qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Wilson’s Aces start their WNBA title defence against the Phoenix Mercury on May 20. Mbappé faces Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday night.

Background

Vanity Fair has featured athletes intermittently since its 1983 relaunch but never devoted an entire issue to sport. Previous cover subjects include Michael Jordan (1997), Serena Williams (2015) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2019). The title carved its reputation around Hollywood, politics and high society rather than stadiums.

Condé Nast霸权 launched international editions in the 1990s yet kept editorial decisions largely separate. The company’s new global chief executive Roger Lynch ordered integrated content after taking over in 2024. Lynch told investors he wants “one Vanity Fair voice speaking to readers from Lagos to Los Angeles.”

Sports Illustrated’s collapse in 2024 left a vacuum for glossy sports journalism. The 70-year-old publication fired its staff in February that year after Authentic Brands Group license issues. Vanity Fair editors saw an opening to capture affluent readers who once kept SI coffee-table issues.

What’s Next

The magazine will track all three stars through their upcoming seasons. A documentarian crew hired by Vanity Fair will film Alcaraz at Wimbledon, Wilson at the Paris Olympics, and Mbappé during the European Championship in Germany. Editors plan a follow-up photo shoot for whoever claims the biggest prize this summer.