Nick Kyrgios beat Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round of Wimbledon. The match was almost over without any trouble, but the Australian player’s choice of clothes made headlines.
The No. 40 player in the world broke Wimbledon’s strict dress code, which has been a rule since the tournament began 145 years ago.
Nick Kyrgios Breaks Wimbledon’s All-White Dress Code
Kyrgios stuck to the all-white dress code for the match itself, but he wore red-and-white Air Jordan sneakers and a red cap to get into and out of Centre Court at Wimbledon.
After he won, a reporter asked Kyrgios why he chose to break the rules. Kyrgios replied: “I do what I want because I can. I’m not exempt from the rules. I just like wearing my Jordans.”
Nick Kyrgios, who was fined $10,000 last week for spitting at a fan who was making fun of him, didn’t seem to be bothered by the questions about his clothes.
“He said, “That means more attention for me.” “What’s that saying? Isn’t it true that any publicity is good publicity? Champion, just keep being you.”
But he joked that in his quarter-final match, he would pay more attention and “wear some triple-whites.”
Since 1877, when the tournament began, all-white clothes have been worn. At the UK tournament, everyone, from the reigning champions to the qualifiers, has to follow the same strict rules.
“Competitors must wear tennis clothes that are almost entirely white,” the rules say. This is true from the moment a player steps onto the court. “Off-white and cream are not the same as white.”
The dress code was put in place not only for fashion but also to “level the playing field,” according to the organisers of the tournament.
If a player wants to stand out, “they must do so through their play,” not by what they wear.
In a video explaining the rules, the people in charge of Wimbledon say that it is “a tradition they are quite proud of.”
Even though players have worn whites with some coloured piping or logos in the past (only one centimetre wide is allowed), the all-white rule has stayed the same.
But it seems that for this year’s tournament, players will be able to show their support for Ukraine by wearing blue and yellow ribbons or piping on their clothes.
Iga Swiatek from Poland and Ukrainian players Lesia Tsurenko and Anhelina Kalinina all added the colours of the Ukrainian flag to their match clothes to show their support.
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