Wimbledon allow players to break strict rule after tragic Diogo Jota death

Wimbledon will allow players to break the strict all-white dress code at the All England Club following the tragic death of Diogo Jota.

The Liverpool and Portugal forward was killed in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The accident, which occurred on the A-52 road in the Spanish province of Zamora, took the life of 28-year-old Jota and his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva.

Follow Metro’s live blog for full coverage of Diogo Jota’s death

In a statement, Liverpool said they were ‘devastated’ at the ‘unimaginable loss’ of a player who helped them win the Premier League title last season.

A number of tennis players will be keen to pay their respect to Jota at Wimbledon and have been given permission to wear black armbands on court by All England Club officials.

Wimbledon has arguably the strictest dress code of any sporting event, with competitors told they ‘must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white’.

The guidelines, which were set in 1963, even specify that ‘white’ does not include off-white or cream. The rules apply ‘from the point at which the player enters the court surround’.

Any colour cannot be wider than one centimetre but players have been told they are allowed to pay tribute to Jota with black armbands on court.

Portuguese star Francisco Cabral has indicated he will to so in his next round match, with others expected to follow suit.

Eight-time champion Roger Federer was once reprimanded for wearing trainers with orange soles and ordered to change his footwear for his next match.

Andre Agassi, meanwhile, boycotted the tournament for three years in a row because of the strict dress code at the All England Club.

One tweak to Wimbledon’s strict dress code came in 2023 when female players were given permission to wear coloured shorts under white tennis skirts to reduce fears around their menstrual cycles.

The move was widely praised by female players, including former British number one Heather Watson.

‘When Wimbledon announced that about the under-shorts I was so happy because it makes such a big difference,’ she said.

‘I think it’s a real positive move and it’s really great. It’s really forward-thinking from Wimbledon.’

American tennis great Agassi won Wimbledon in 1992 after boycotting the tournament earlier in his career. 

‘I resent rules, but especially arbitrary rules,’ he wrote in his book Open. ‘Why must I wear white? I don’t want to wear white. Why should it matter to these people what I wear.’

Billie Jean King hits out at Wimbledon’s all-white dress code

In the build-up to this year’s Wimbledon, women’s tennis icon Billie Jean King hit out at the all-white dress code at the All England Club.

Describing the dress code as a ‘total mistake’, she told the Daily Telegraph: ‘There’s a match that comes on, you sit down, and you look – let’s say it’s television – who’s who? 

Tennis people say: “Well, the mark is next to their name” [to indicate who is serving]. I shouldn’t have to look at a mark, I shouldn’t have to look at anything. I should know [who’s who]. My sport drives me nuts. 

‘They shouldn’t have the same uniforms on. They both have white on. You can change tradition.’ 

King, who won a staggering 28 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles, even suggested names and numbers added to tennis player’s shirt, like in football. 

‘I’d have merch with their names on the back so they’d make money, the tournament makes money, everybody makes money,’ the 81-year-old American added. 

‘We’re losing out on millions and millions because of that. Numbers are really important! 

‘Kids love numbers and they can retire numbers – like a Federer. It’s so obvious. Take what other sports are doing and what people like from other sports.’ 

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