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During the three-hour Wimbledon final on Sunday, Nick Kyrgios had his best performance, at least in terms of the notoriously strict dress code of the tennis tournament. Then it was time to accept his trophy.
For that occasion, which took place minutes after the Australian lost in four sets to defending champion Novak Djokovic, Kyrgios changed his white cap for a bright red Nike Jordan cap, a move he almost ignored. a century and a half of the tournament tradition that required players to wear white clothes on the court.
The Duchess of Cambridge, who presented Kyrgios with her runner-up trophy, did not react remarkably to Kyrgios’ falsity. Other observers, however, were surprised, especially because Kyrgios had put himself in danger after putting on his red cap before the tournament.
A journalist described the measure as “Kyrgios’ final act of defiance”. Others pointed out that Kyrgios could be fined. In the early hours of Monday, a Wimbledon spokeswoman could not confirm whether Kyrgios had been sanctioned.
The rule that players wear white on the tennis court dates back to the start of the tournament, in 1877. At that time, it was generally believed that sweating was inappropriate and that white clothing would slow a player’s sweating. or hide it, Time reported. However, as times have changed, the dress code at Wimbledon has not eased. In fact, it has become stricter, with tournament officials even checking the color of players ’underwear during matches.
Now, the rule is that players must wear “appropriate tennis clothing that is almost completely white … from the point where the player enters the court environment.” Acceptable garments “do not include whites or cream” and color cuts around the neckline or sleeves “should not be wider than an inch.” There are other very specific guidelines, although some players this year were allowed to wear colors compatible with Ukraine.
Far from its origins of sweat, Wimbledon has more recently adopted the white rule as a “great leveler” and a way to “let tennis and players stand out,” rather than their clothes.
But even the best champions of the game have defied the rule. Roger Federer, an eight-time Wimbledon winner, said in 2014 that a 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 of orange soles during his first-round match, according to the Associated Press.
Before winning Wimbledon in 1992, American Andre Agassi had boycotted the tournament, eschewing its traditionalism and dress code. “Why should I wear white? I don’t want to wear white,” Agassi wrote in his 2009 memoirs. “Why should these people care what I wear?”
This year, protesters have appeared at the main gates of the tournament, demanding that organizers change their dress code so that players can feel anxious to wear all-white clothes when they are menstruating, according to The Guardian. Protesters wore white tops and red shorts, dresses inspired by Tatiana Golovin, a French player who in 2007 came out in her clothes with bright red shorts on the Wimbledon lawn.
While Kyrgios isn’t the only one to reject the Wimbledon dress code, it has annoyed observers in other ways. He was fined $ 10,000 in late June for spitting at a spectator who Kyrgios said was questioning him. During his match with Djokovic on Sunday, Kyrgios chased the referee out of the chair to pull out a distracting spectator who he said appeared to have drunk “700 drinks” and was fined $ 4,000 for audibly cursing during the match.
After his fourth-round win over Brandon Nakashima last week, Kyrgios put on a red Nike cap along with a pair of white and red Air Jordans.
After the match, a journalist asked Kyrgios why he was breaking the rules.
“Because I do what I want,” Kyrgios replied.
Do the rules not apply to you?
“I like to carry my Jordans,” Kyrgios said.