Novak Djokovic’s long-awaited debut at Wimbledon arrived this Tuesday. The Serbian returned to the court about a month after undergoing surgery to resolve the meniscus problems that forced his retirement from Roland Garros.
Expectations were high to see how his knee would respond, and the truth is that the result could not have been more overwhelming. He defeated his rival, the Czech Vit Kopriva, 6-1, 6-2 and 6-2 in 1h.58′, confirming that he went to London with all the guarantees of fighting Alcaraz, Sinner and company for the title of champion.
Facing the storm of the world number 2’s game, Interest has focused on the gray knee pads he wore in the game, bordering on legality. of tournament rules, which require tennis players to wear mostly clean white.
According to the contest rules, only one color line, no more than ten millimeters, is allowed on the pants, collar, sleeve ends and cap.. Sneakers and their soles must be completely white, while only women can wear a colored dress under their pants to avoid period stains. This initiative was incorporated in 2023.
However, Djokovic, a seven-time champion at the All England Club, He wears a gray protective knee pad on his right leg this Tuesday in his victory over Vit Kopriva, an exception contemplated in the tournament’s rule book.
“Medical supports and that kind of material should be white if possible, but can be colored if absolutely necessary“.
Property Djokovic confirmed in a press conference that he received the green light wear a knee brace.
“I spoke to the president before going to the track and he gave me the green light, so everything is fine. Obviously we asked in the last few days to see if we would have permission. Trust me we tried to find a white knee pad“explained Djokovic, who also recalled the case of Frances Tiafoe, who played this Monday with black protection on her arm.
“I think the gray is better, closer to white. I know it’s not perfect and I want to wear all white and respect the rules, but they gave me permission. “I told them we will do everything we can to bring white to the next game.”
The only place tennis players can play in colored clothing is on the training courts at Aorangi Park. “The dress code in Aorangi is more relaxed“says the rule book. Once you enter any of the club’s 18 courts, white clothing is required to hit the ball.
Source: La Verdad
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