Novak Djokovic surprised many when he turned up to Centre Court for the second day of Wimbledon with grey strapping on his knee, clashing with the all-white dress code associated with the summer Slam.
However, the seven-time SW19 champion explained that he had been given permission from the tournament’s higher-ups and had sought out a white version of the padding, but had to walk out wearing as close as possible.
But with Scottish wildcard Jacob Fearnley up next, likely to be on the main stage once again on Thursday, Djokovic did say that he told the Wimbledon brass that he would do his “best” to don white strapping after pointing out a similar infringement by Frances Tiafoe.
I did check,” Djokovic explained when queried about his choice of outfit. “I actually just met (the) chairwoman just before walking onto the court. She gave me thumbs up, so it was okay.
“Of course, we did check in the days prior if we have permission. We’re trying to find a white one, trust me. I saw Frances Tiafoe played, he actually had a black colour sleeve. Gray, I think it’s maybe slightly better towards the white.
“Yeah, I know it’s not ideal. I like to go all white and I like to respect the rules. But I got the permission. I said to them that I will give our best for next match the white one.
The Wimbledon rulebook states that “competitors must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white” which includes shoes and undergarments (with an exception provided for female players who are allowed to wear solid, mid/dark-coloured undershorts provided they are no longer than their shorts or skirt.
The regulation also extends to medical supports and equipment, such as Djokovic’s knee strapping, though the rules are slightly more relaxed and state that they “should be white if possible but may be coloured if absolutely necessary.
It remains to be seen whether or not Djokovic will continue to wear something other than white during his Wimbledon campaign, which sees him come up against Scottish star Fearnley in his maiden Grand Slam.
And while the Serb will be spending his day off practising with Nick Kyrgios, he will also likely study up on Fearnley after admitting that he has never seen him play.
“I haven’t seen him hit,” Djokovic added. “I don’t know really anything about him. So I’ll have to do my homework. I know he was granted a wild card to play in the tournament. So yeah, I’ll definitely analyze his match of today and see what I’m up against. Obviously him being British, he’s going to have the crowd. You never like to play British in.
