Federer’s Fashion Choices Raise Eyebrows at Wimbledon
EmailABC's Alexander Marquardt reports from London: There might be only one tennis player in the world that could get away with walking onto Wimbledon’s Center Court in a white military-style coat complete with epaulettes only to take it off to reveal a formal white waistcoat for the warm-up. Five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer took the All England Club’s all-white rule to a new level Monday in his opening match against Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu. The white, gold-trimmed Nike get-up featured his signature “RF” logo emblazoned on the left breast as well as a pair of white pants more reminiscent of Fred Perry in the 1930s. Even Federer’s racket bags got a makeover, featuring the same white and gold theme but with considerably more gold. “Everyone was talking about it in the locker room!” said Federer at the post-match press conference. “People were saying ‘Wow, looks great!’” Combining tennis and high fashion at Wimbledon is nothing new to Federer or Nike. In recent years the world no.2 has sported white blazers and cardigans. On the women’s side, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova both walked into their first-round matches Monday in fancy overcoats not traditionally seen on tennis courts. Federer explained that he meets with Nike representatives once a year to discuss the outfit and then the company gets to work on the “long process.” “They always have lots of good ideas and even though it didn’t look right to begin with, they got there in the end,” he said, adding that it’s important to him to respect the Wimbledon tradition of wearing white. Anybody murmuring about Federer’s sartorial judgement was quickly silenced as he dispatched with Lu in straight sets in the first step on his way to a possible record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title.
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Maybe he could come out in a “puffy shirt”. Aaaarrrggghhhh!
Posted by: bubba | June 23, 2009, 10:49 am 10:49 am
Looks like something Michael Jackson would wear.
Posted by: Thom | June 23, 2009, 11:26 am 11:26 am
What a Pompous ARSE!! So he won the French w/ out playing Nadal at the finals, now he thnks he’s the king of Tennis, like how Michael Jackson thought he was the king of POP. Please someone stick a racket up Fedrers ARSE! Can’t wait till Nadal whips his ARSE for a loss!
Posted by: Nike_Team | June 23, 2009, 11:45 am 11:45 am
I used to like this guy. What the heck happened ???
Posted by: Lucho | June 23, 2009, 12:56 pm 12:56 pm
Yeah I agree. unfortunately given that Nadal backed out his way is wide open. Somebody stop him.
Posted by: Ramesh | June 23, 2009, 1:16 pm 1:16 pm
C’mon Nike_Team, your guy Nadal is a great player and the current number one, but he’s got a LONG way to go to equal Roger’s FOURTEEN grand-slam wins. As for Nadal getting knoked out of the French, thereby clearing the way for Roger to tie the Sampras record, such things happen in tennis and it’s just the way the ball bounces.
Posted by: tennis_outsider | June 23, 2009, 1:31 pm 1:31 pm
I think Federer is a class act! He is a super talent, not afraid to show his emotions and is the most gracious player ever! Go Federer…win Wimbledon!
Posted by: Judy Shaw | June 23, 2009, 2:21 pm 2:21 pm
Federer does not make “haute couture”, he simply has to respect his contract with Nike. The gold in his dress is much more for promoting Nike than an identity of Federer.
Posted by: pierrepaul | June 23, 2009, 3:07 pm 3:07 pm
heyy… the reason nadal wasnt there in the finals was no fault of roger, n dont forget that roger beat rafa at the atp 1000 at madrid on clay… n rafa was beaten by soderling at roland garros, who clearly outplayed him.. so.. roger’s the best… ! 20 straight semi final appearances, come on guys, he;’s the best.. wer’s nadal nw ?? swimmin ? fishin ? hope he gets back to form soon, they both are assets to the world of tennis.. so respect it folks…
Posted by: tennis_lover | June 23, 2009, 3:10 pm 3:10 pm
Roger has never backed down from facing Nadal. Neither has Nadal. All this talk about Nadal being out, hence making it “easier” for Federer to win the French and Wimbledon is all baloney. At the French, Federer held his end of the draw by making the final. Nadal, obviously, did not. So, Federer winning the French without Nadal does not belittle his achievement. He has been consistent in making the final, not to mention he beat Nadal leading to the French. Come Wimbledon, Nadal had to withdraw. Now people write that Federer has a better chance of winning it because Nadal is out? Remember Federer has 5 Wimbledon titles to his name, Nadal only 1. Health-wise, Federer is way ahead of Nadal. Federer has never withdrawn from a Grand Slam, has he? Federer relishes any chance to play Nadal, regardless of the outcome. Both are great players, but Federer is clearly on top.
Posted by: Who's King? | June 23, 2009, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm
remember that tennis used to be played in long pants by gentlemen, and dresses by ladies. i far prefer federer’s outfit to those worn by many of today’s players. besides, if it interfered with his ability to play, he wouldn’t wear it, would he?
Posted by: justsane | June 23, 2009, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
I don’t think Federer is up himself for wearing his latest clothing from Nike. It shows his respect for the tradition of Wimbledon.
Also don’t agree with comments putting Rog down for winning the French Open without defeating Nadal in the final. That’s sport. He still had to win some tough matches to win the title.
Posted by: Rob | June 23, 2009, 4:46 pm 4:46 pm
I say more power to him….tennis players only have so many years when they can cash in on their fame so any and all endorsements and product repping he can do is his perogative…plus, I actually think it looks pretty cool. Maybe that’s just me.
Speaking of endorsements, has anyone seen the brand new Gillette ad with Roger, Tiger, and Derek Jeter? I just saw it for the first time yesterday…it’s a little more serious than the earlier “Staying Alive” spot, probably because of the different musical selection – it’s “Dream Within a Dream” by Action Action.
Posted by: brett | June 23, 2009, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
Fed looks like a waiter in that vest….and what’s with the “Sargent Pepper” jacket?????? Looks foolish!
Posted by: lynney62 | June 23, 2009, 6:28 pm 6:28 pm
From Federer’s outfit, the comments again boiled down to Rafa vs Roger . This is mere felony. Both are great players and regardless you are Rafa supporters or Roger supporters, give them their due respects for the great achievements and great pleasure they brought to the otherwise boring game of tennis in recent decade.
It seems that everywhere in the world is pin pointing Roger, just because he wins so many slams and yet has a deficit record agains Rafa? To all Rafa fans out there, be fair . We never criticise Rafa or questions Rafa. So be fair and accept that each players are unique and special in their own ways.
If you guys really want to compare Rafa with Roger? Wait till Rafa has a 20 continous Slam semis, wait till Rafa has 14 Slams in his bags, and wait till Rafa has completed his own career slams. Then we are talking apple to apple.
Can he do it? Maybe , if his poor pair of legs can still run for another few years. Good luck
Posted by: Cicak | June 23, 2009, 9:54 pm 9:54 pm
Why do most people who like Nadal just hate Roger? Accept the fact that Roger is simply the best player ever, and move on. Nadal has played very well for a whole couple of years, and now his guns have ran out of powder. Literally. He always played with physical strength, more than with technique and innate ability-unlike Roger who’s all brains. Let Roger be Roger and do what he does best, play the beautiful sport of tennis like no one ever has. And for all you haters, he didn’t wear the vest while playing, just while warming out. Go complain about flashy, out-of-place cleavages or neon suits. Wimbledon is all about class, and Roger has it. Besides, I never heard any Nadal fans complaining about his shorts riding up his arse.
Posted by: Hmmm | June 24, 2009, 12:32 am 12:32 am
Honestly the hate needs to stop…roger is a fair and respectful player and everyone knows that…even rafa respects him greatly…and roger has achieved so much and is one of the greats…just respect both players as they are both great tennis players…and I like Roger switching up styles..it adds a bit of excitement and change to tennis itself…why are we always quick to approach new ideas negatively? I think it looks fresh…1 love
Posted by: Gorilla | June 24, 2009, 1:22 am 1:22 am
Federer is my only one favorite tenies player. I like his simple way if he did not get score he so quiet….. And his wife is so nice to see waching with his game. He will be Number one again because he is better player than Nadal.
Thanks
Julieta From: Philippines.
Posted by: Julieta | June 24, 2009, 6:20 am 6:20 am
Any outfit for my Idol Federer is good because he has a good looking face. He is handsome to all Tennies players. And his wife is very supportive to him I admire her for what she is doing. When Federer get the tropy last time in Roland Garros I am so happy. All his game I watch it even Im busy I leave my works what ever im doing just for Mr. Federer Number one tennies player.
Regards,
Julieta from: Philippines.
Posted by: Julieta | June 24, 2009, 6:29 am 6:29 am
Now he is joining Wimbledon UK I wish he will get the final result. Wishing him all the best as well with his family.
Regards,
Julieta from Philippines
Posted by: Julieta | June 24, 2009, 6:31 am 6:31 am
how can u all compare rafaz record 2 federerz 20 straight semi-z….i think it wud be sensible enough 2 compare federerz record at 23 to rafaz record at 23….the statistics will clearly show who d real king is…
to rafaz health…unfortunate for rafa as well as his fans…and now the split in his family will surely make things worse for him..hope he gets things sorted out n is back in form with a bang..
no one can make out for health….the fact still remains as it was..federer only won french when there was no NADAL(against nadal..he was alwayz demolished..winning is a different story)..nor any other top seed! and…rafa won wimbledon before federer could clinch the roland garros title instead of being 5 years younger 2 him…rafa covered all d surfaces before federer…vamos!!
so…without a doubt RAFA IS BETTER!!
Posted by: Rakshan | June 24, 2009, 8:55 am 8:55 am
What ever Fed wares, looks good, because of his classy game he got. Go Fed ..wear it..what ever you like , under the rules. Fans has no complains.
I hope Rafa comes back soon to give the memorable matches to tennis lovers. Both are great.
Posted by: Krish | June 24, 2009, 2:04 pm 2:04 pm
Yeah, that’s great everyone. Really insightful. I love reading such meaningful banter. Let’s get passionate about someone else’s life.
Posted by: Tom | June 24, 2009, 3:41 pm 3:41 pm
Federer backs up his seemingly haughty statements with his play. One does not need to belittle Nadal to show Federer for what he is and what he has achieved and vice-versa. Nadal will certainly come back and win a few more grand slams but probably will not catch up with Federer’s total (which may increase) because of his style of play and resulting injuries.
Posted by: Vijay D | June 24, 2009, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
Unless I am missing something, this article is about fashion – specifically Roger Federer’s at Wimbledon. Yet, somehow, somewhere, the comments become about Nadal and Federer. And as someone has already pointed out, not even about Nadal and Federer fashion. But once again the endless debate and accusations thrown between each player’s “fans.” Federer fans accusing Nadal fans of being nasty and “hating” Roger while they claim that they “never” direct anything negative toward Nadal. Fans using ever article, blog or commentary as a forum to decry Federer supreme, whether he is the number one player in the world or not – and this has been going on since he became the number two player in the world last year. Oh, I guess I am just weary of it all. Obviously I read it. Maybe soon I can just ignore it.
Posted by: Sasha | June 25, 2009, 2:09 pm 2:09 pm
To Sasha, if u see my post, clearly it already highlighted the senseless debate of Roger vs Rafa and yes, it is getting meaningless and boring, and you are right that at any forum or post, it has become a verbal war zone between the 2 camps’ supporters.
Guess what? The 2 that actuall go down the court and play theri tennis, i.e Rafa and Roger ar never trying to prove who is better. In fact, even Rafa himslef acknowledge how much respect he has for Roger. So, it is the media, the Rafa fans who is overly react in trying to prove their idol’s greatness, when he is just a mere 23 years old, and both players have not even retired from tennis.
What’s more to say?
(Side note to Rakshan, as much as you trying to prove it, for what benefit i dont know, the fact is Rafa never made it to US hardcourt final, at least for now. So please get your facts right in saying Rafa conquer all surfaces. Also, except for one French Open final, the other 3 French, 1 Wimbledon, and 1 Aust are all won by playing Federer. Is he really tested? i doubt it. Also, 20 consecutive Grand Slam semis IS a great achivement, acknowledged by Tennis professionals, not by fans. Oh, and by the way, Nadal failed to do this as well, since he cannot even play in Wimbledon at all. Sorry.)
Posted by: Cicak | June 26, 2009, 2:00 am 2:00 am
I think the golden t shirt and matching shoes look excellent. Hope the shoes will come out soon from Nike.
Posted by: gokhan | June 26, 2009, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
A lot of top players would be as good as Nadal if they too attempted to push their physical limits like Nadal. But pushing your physical limits too far is foolhardy and is not a smart thing to do if you want to have a long career – Nadal hurt himself to be where he is(short term thinking unmindful of the SURE repercussions). The true barometer of Nadal’s greateness will also account for how long he lasts. If he lasts long enough to win many more grand slams then he is truly better – but if his foolhardiness of over indulgence cripples his career then he will not be remembered as great(overindulgence is childishness, maybe he got wrong advice from Uncle Tony). Many Medical specialists have said Nadal’s knee problems are due to his over indulgence. The comparison will only be complete when Nadal retires and we have a complete statistic of their achievements/wins – that’s reality.
Posted by: Simone | June 30, 2009, 5:10 am 5:10 am
Never watched tennis until Roger played , he is the greatest and a pleasure to watch always. A very handsome Swiss and best wishes for his new family.
Posted by: JOAN | July 3, 2009, 2:22 pm 2:22 pm
hey Thom………
so are you the one who confers “King of Pop” title? what qualifies you? hahaha what are joker. Just keep it to Tennis, remember this is article is all about that – Federer or Nadal, the better player of the day wins :-)
Posted by: droy | July 5, 2009, 5:49 pm 5:49 pm
Federer looks great! Ü
Posted by: grace | July 7, 2009, 9:56 am 9:56 am