Carlos Alcaraz has pushed the boundaries of Wimbledon’s ultra-strict clothing rules with his trainers. The 21-year-old recently advanced into the quarter-finals at SW19 by overcoming Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.
However, the defending champion did so while risking the wrath of Wimbledon organisers, who are a stickler for tradition and rules. All players have to wear “suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white” with no exceptions for any gear, which is deemed as “off-white or cream.
Nick Kyrgios and Roger Federer have both fallen foul of the rules in previous Wimbledon campaigns. Kyrgios was “reminded of the rules” when he wore a red baseball cap when he walked out for his match with Brandon Nakashima in 2022, while Federer was told he was not allowed to wear a pair of orange-soled trainers in 2013, as they broke the dress code. However, it appears Alcaraz is allowed to wear his shoes, despite the fact they feature a non-white detail.
Alcaraz stepped onto Centre Court for his clash with the 16th seed while wearing an exclusive, customised pair of Nike trainers which featured a unique, light-blue chequered pattern on the sole of his shoe. The added design is understood to be inspired by his passion for playing chess.
While the blue is faint, it is still visible for those at home to see at certain angles. They also feature a light blue outline on the Nike logo and the outer rim of the shoe
The shoes, which are understood to be the beginning of a customised clothing line Nike will develop for him until 2035, are yet to be pulled up by organisers. Last month, Alcaraz put pen to paper on a new deal with the sports clothing manufacturer that is similar to the ones predecessors Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer signed.
According to Spanish outlet Relevo, his new deal will be worth between $15-$20m (£11.7m-£15.9m) annually and will also see Nike develop a personalised logo for the Spaniard, as they did with Nadal and Federer. He was initially under contract until 2025 but reports understand he is expected to wear their outfits for at least a decade.
Alcaraz and his chessboard-inspired shoes will face Tommy Paul in the quarter-final tomorrow. While he blitzed through the first two sets against Humbert, the Frenchman threatened a huge comeback when he outplayed the Spaniard in the third set.
But Alcaraz found his composure and his best form to see out the final set and book his place in the last-eight. After the match, the three-time Grand Slam winner said: “Playing lefties is always tricky.
“At Queen’s, first on grass [against Draper], was very difficult, but I just played my own game. I feel great today. I played at a really high level. I just had to stay in the point, show my opponent that I’m always going to be there, last ball. Now I will rest a little bit, recovering to be 100 per cent for the next one.
