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During Sunday’s three-hour final at Wimbledon, Nick Kyrgios was on his best behavior – at least as far as the tennis tournament’s notoriously strict dress code is concerned. Then it was time for him to accept his trophy.
For the occasion, which came minutes after the Australian lost in four sets to defending champion Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios swapped his white cap for a bright red Nike Jordan cap, a move that flouted nearly a century and a half of tournament tradition requiring players to wear white clothes on the court.
The Duchess of Cambridge, who presented Kyrgios with his runner-up trophy, did not react noticeably to Kyrgios’ mistake. Other observers, however, were astonished – especially as Kyrgios was pushed back after donning the red hat earlier in the tournament.
One journalist called Kyrgios’ move “a final act of defiance”. Others indicated that Kyrgios could be fined. Early Monday, a Wimbledon spokesman was unable to confirm whether Kyrgios had been punished.
The rule that players wear white on the tennis court dates back to the tournament’s inception in 1877. At the time, it was generally believed that sweating was inappropriate and that white clothing would either limit or hide a player’s perspiration, Time reported. Yet as times have changed, Wimbledon’s dress code has not relaxed. In fact, it has become stricter, with tournament officials even checking the color of players’ underwear during matches.
The rule now is that players must wear “appropriate tennis attire that is almost entirely white … from the point at which the player enters the court environment.” Acceptable attire “does not include off-white or cream,” but colored embellishments around the neckline or sleeves “should not be wider than one centimeter”. There are other very specific guidelines, although some players this year were allowed to wear colors supporting Ukraine.
Far from its sweat-phobic origins, Wimbledon recently embraced the all-white rule as a “great equalizer” and a way to “let the tennis and the players stand out” rather than their attire.
But even the best champions in the game have challenged the rule. Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer said in 2014 that the dramatic tightening of the dress code that year was “too strict,” the New York Times reported. A year earlier, Federer was forced to change his shoes after wearing a pair with orange soles during his first-round match, according to the Associated Press.
Before winning Wimbledon in 1992, American Andre Agassi boycotted the tournament, shunning its traditionalism and dress code. “Why do I have to wear white? I don’t want to wear white,” Agassi wrote in his 2009 memoir. “Why should it matter to these people what I wear?”
This year, protesters appeared outside the main gates of the tournament, demanding organizers change the dress code because female players may feel uneasy wearing all-white clothing when they are menstruating, according to the Guardian. The protesters wore white tops and red shorts, outfits modeled on Tatiana Golovin, the French player who in 2007 got away with bright red underpants on the grass at Wimbledon.
While Kyrgios is not alone in rejecting Wimbledon’s dress code, he has angered observers in other ways. He was fined $10,000 in late June for spitting at a spectator who Kyrgios said was mocking him. During his match with Djokovic on Sunday, Kyrgios went after the chair umpire to remove a disruptive spectator who he said appeared to have had “700 drinks” and was fined $4,000 for audibly swearing during the match.
Following his fourth-round win over Brandon Nakashima last week, Kyrgios donned a red Nike cap along with a pair of red and white Air Jordans.
After the match, a reporter asked Kyrgios why he would break the rules.
“Because I do what I want,” Kyrgios replied.
Do the rules not apply to him?
“I just love wearing my Jordans,” Kyrgios said.
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