Roger Federer Is Finding Wimbledon’s All-White Policy Too Extreme

by Tom Gainey | July 3rd, 2015, 9:54 am
  • 81 Comments

Despite all his success at Wimbledon, Roger Federer continues to take issue with the club’s strict clothing policy. According to Federer, and several other players, Wimbledon is getting more and more strict through the years with their enforcement of the all-white rule.

“I just find it quite extreme to what extent it’s gotten to white,” Federer said yesterday after a quick win over Sam Querrey. “We’re talking white like it was in the ’50s. If you look at the pictures then, it was all white.

“When I came on tour, when I was watching on TV, I still have the pictures in my mind where Edberg and Becker and all those guys, they had more color. There were iconic T‑shirts, iconic moments, I thought,” he said. “Then when I came on tour, I still had some color. You could have some light blue, back when I beat Sampras, all that stuff. It was different. But it was still 90% white, for sure. Which I’m totally in favor for.


“But then it got to a point where stripes here would be borderline here. I find that a bit of a pity because you can’t do anything with it. No cream color, no this, no that, fine.

“I would still be in favor for loosening it up a little bit. But then again, it is what it is. You know, I’m happy, I’m proud to be here. So whatever, it’s okay.”

Earlier in the week Eugenie Bouchard was given a violation for having a black bra strap that was exposed. And today Nick Kyrgios was asked to turned a Wimbledon headband inside out!

Federer plays tomorrow against Australian Sam Groth.


You Might Like:
Australian Open Updated Its Heat Policy
Statement From WTA CEO Larry Scott Regarding Dubai Penalties
Novak Djokovic Still Not Allowed Into The U.S., Will Likely Miss Indian Wells, Miami
Poll: Who’ll Win More Wimbledons, Novak Djokovic Or Petra Kvitova?
The Whack Mile

Don't miss any tennis action, stay connected with Tennis-X

Get the FREE TX daily newsletter

81 Comments for Roger Federer Is Finding Wimbledon’s All-White Policy Too Extreme

jane Says:

i have no idea where to post for today’s (!) matches so i guess this thread on fed’s view on white clothing will do.

crashquet is about to send dimitrov packing in straight sets! maybe we should be wondering about grigor’s career? he, too, will go further down the rankings after today will he not?

also, all those people who said wawrinka’s game was not suited for grass? lol!


jane Says:

dimitrov, raonic, nishikori – out.


jane Says:

so i wonder why kyrgios wore the sleeve; what was that all about? a statement to milos? a bit of old school “silent” smack talk?


Tennis Fan Says:

he wore it last match too … so no he can be a bit of a you know what … but that wasnt it.

raonic was clearly injured .. not playing his game hardly at all. Not even serving first serves from the second set on. Too bad … I think he was ready to go further this year. Probably trying to do too much too soon after the surgery.


jane Says:

thanks for clarifying tennis fan; i didnt know he’d worn it last round. also, i did read something about milos having an injury (some were mentioning hip?)


Skeezer Says:

Meanwhile, Nole is dismantling the Aussie early on…


sienna Says:

Fed should have picked Kyrgios for novaks 3th Round opponent.


jane Says:

wooo, nice play by nole at the end of the set there. :)


chris ford1 Says:

Novak is taking apart the Tank Machine. Who isn’t tanking yet.
I think the new Australian hierarchy is Kyrgios 1st, 4K second, Tomic 3rd.


jane Says:

well pleased with the effort by novak today. another big server next, anderson.

also happy popsicle and sock won. :)


Humble Rafa Says:

#winningpeopleproblems#


SG1 Says:

This whole “all white” dress code thing really isn’t a big deal. You know the rules. If you don’t like them, don’t play.

I think that if anyone of us was told, “Hey, go play a couple of hours on Centre Court Wimbledon but you have to wear all white”, no one I know or anyone on this site would have a problem with it.

So Rog…just play. There are bigger fish to fry to in than having to wear all white apparel for a couple of weeks. At some point in the future, this will change. Just not now.


SG1 Says:

Certainly from a visual perspective, white clothing with the green grass and background seems more striking.


Hippy Chick Says:

Dear me is this really worthy of a thread topic,for the sake of 13 days,actually its 7 if your really lucky with a day off in between each round,talk about a none story story….


Jack Lewis Says:

Worthy enough to get your click… (and mine too obviously).


Giles Says:

Oh dear me . Fed complaining again? No doubt he can persuade the All England Club to change their tradition. Don’t go there fed, even you won’t succeed. Bloody whiner!


jane Says:

eww, serena cheering watson’s mistakes. :/


Hippy Chick Says:

Watson isnt intimidated by Williams which is refreshing,go Heather give it your best shot,and she breaks to serve for the second set….


Hippy Chick Says:

Jack Lewis lol true,and fair enough….


jane Says:

watson is a cutie; it’d be nice to see her get a set at least. her tennis is pleasing to watch also. nice movement and variety.


Hippy Chick Says:

Cilic is a set up against Isner,although i cant stand Cilic,as a tennis fan i hope he beats Isner….


Hippy Chick Says:

WOW Get in Watson,that took some guts,what a point,agree with you Jane,set point Watson….


jane Says:

beautiful focus by watson, and she gets the second set.


Hippy Chick Says:

She takes the second set,love the Mexican wave ha ha….


Okiegal Says:

Roger is still hacked off about the red soled shoes. He was told he couldn’t wear them. That was the same year Serena had on red bloomers. Apparently that was OK. Had I been Roger I would have taken issue with her under garment choice with the powers that be. Her bloomers showed up a lot more than his red soled shoes…just saying. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander?? Guess not. I’m no fan of Rogers, but Wimby was ridiculous on that issue.


jane Says:

wowzers! heather up a double break in the third; can it continue?


Okiegal Says:

I’ve noticed the guys are very particular in picking the right ball to serve, Serena just serves any ball she is given…..Which makes me wonder is there really that much difference between them??

I believe the Brits are gonna be happy with their Heather today. She is taking it to Serena this third set. Looks like she’s got this one covered! I don’t think the sisters will be playing each other after all.


Hippy Chick Says:

Hope so Jane,hope she doesnt get tight….


Daniel Says:

Is Serena really going out today?!


Hippy Chick Says:

Daniel i hope so,nothing against her,but i want our Brit gal to win,and this would be the win of her life,and it would cheer me up after yesterdays fiasco….


Hippy Chick Says:

I just hope she doesnt get tight….


jane Says:

c’mon heather, do it for hippy!


Hippy Chick Says:

Jane aww lol sweet,i know we havent always seen eye to eye,but thats really kind thanks,and Margot too ;)….


jane Says:

hmmm, lost one break. and now serena’s cheering watson’s mistakes again. :/

i think that break back might’ve been heather’s chance hippy. she seems to have gone off the boil and is making all sorts of silly errors. sigh.


Hippy Chick Says:

Jane hmm yeah,Serena will not go away,Heather needs to regain her composure…


Okiegal Says:

@Jane I don’t think she is cheering Heather’ s mistakes. She is just so passionate about her game and happy to get the point. I think she just gets caught up in the moment with excitement and let’s it fly.

Serena is in for the fight of her life right now. It ain’t ever over till the fat lady sings!!

WOWSER…..Serena coming back!!


jane Says:

saw that coming a mile away

Carole Bouchard ‏@carole_bouchard 36s37 seconds ago
3-2 40-0 Watson but she starts pushing the ball more than going for her shots so Serena makes her pay the price. 3-3.

watson just got so passive and fell back behind the baseline.


Okiegal Says:

Jane, Serena just gave Heather a racquet clap!!


jane Says:

okie it certainly seems like she’s cheering heather’s mistakes. when balls go long she screams “come on!”

anyhow, that’s how it goes.

i just wish heather didnt back off the way she has. she was playing such smart & engaging tennis and then she started pushing and let serena back in.


Okiegal Says:

These two gal a are rockin’ it. Loving this match!!


FedExpress Says:

Heather watson chokes like many do vs serena

Story of the wta. All mental midgets


Hippy Chick Says:

Okie the match of the tournet so far on the WTA….


Hippy Chick Says:

LOL Commies saying Heathers defence is of the Novak Djokovic proportions….


FedExpress Says:

Lolololl
heather will serve for the match hahahahhaah


jane Says:

will take a HUGE effort by watson to hold here and serve this out. but wow, some nice tennis to break back again.


FedExpress Says:

Nid choke


Hippy Chick Says:

Fedexpress shut up….


Okiegal Says:

@Jane We each can have an opinion about the matter. I just think it’s her passion and getting all caught up in the moment. If she’s doing to be hateful, then shame on her!!

I can’t get over how many of these women players are so potty mouthed…..but their Moms probably are too…..I guess that is a judgmental comment on my part…..please forgive!!


FedExpress Says:

I wont hippy


FedExpress Says:

I wont hippy


Okiegal Says:

Serena facing a tough crowd out there today too!!


jane Says:

figured she wouldnt hold. especially when she started pushing. she needed to follow up some of those good serves with aggression.


Hippy Chick Says:

Watson under pressure to hold now….


Hippy Chick Says:

BTW Fed fans sorry for hyjacking your thread lol….


FedExpress Says:

The two game points to lead 4-0 were key. Its a choke.and after that serena will win the wimbledon championship
Many GS were gifted to serena

that us open final vs azarenka in 2012


FedExpress Says:

SW wins. Beware the rest.


RZ Says:

Fantastic performance from Heather Watson. I hope she builds on this rather than rue missed opportunities.


RZ Says:

You know a tennis policy needs updating when even big-time traditionalist Roger Federer thinks it’s too extreme.


Hippy Chick Says:

Ive lost respect for Serena after ignoring those people waiting for autographs,by contrast her opponent whom just lost the match stops and does the exact opposite….


Hippy Chick Says:

Shame about Heather,she can hold her head up high,and say she played the match of her life,was the better player,and probably in the end shouldve won,there is no such thing as a tennis god unfortunatly….


jane Says:

hippy not only that but why’d she make heather wait so long at net.


Okiegal Says:

@Chick…..Sorry for your gal not being able to get the job done today. She is a great little player and I believe she is gonna make the Brits very happy done the road. Very talented and gave the number one player in the world a run for her money! I’m a Serena fan! I get upset with her at times when she acts like a brat to the officials, but that seems to be the norm among some of the players today…men too!


Hippy Chick Says:

Jane right again yeah,and i thought might have acknowledged Heather a bit more at the net too….


jane Says:

kvitova is amazing to watch when she’s in the zone!! but inconsistency is her undoing. hopefully she brings it the rest of this event so it’s not just a march through for serena.


Hippy Chick Says:

Okie yeah sorry,anyway Serena said in her presser that Venus is in better form than she is,maybe Serena will have another tough match,and maybe Venus has a chance,she was always the one i prefered more out of the two?but thats just me,i think Williams is looking good for this title,and within touching distance of the Serena slam,and Steffis 22….


Okiegal Says:

@Jane….Serena stayed at the back of the court because Heather challenged her own last shot. Heather was at the net waiting for the replay. After the replay Serena chatted to her box a few seconds the walked very slowly to the net….She was worn flat smooth out! I replayed this over on my TV…don’t think it was intentional….She was waiting on the challenge replay. I think Heather actually knew it was out because she immediately started to the net.


jane Says:

she can still walk to net; i think most people knew the outcome.

anyhow…

isner/cilic down to the wire right now. who will have the pleasure of playing … kudla (?) #105 in the world … in the R16.

nice opportunity.


Hippy Chick Says:

Okie fair enough,and she did give Heather alot of credit afterwards….


Hippy Chick Says:

Izzy and Cilic go to a 5th set as i type….


Wog Boy Says:

Isner got stuck on 22 aces for the last set and half or so, fifth set now.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Gee, FedExpress, I wonder why the “monkey” from the “stone age” will never be as great as Graf, Evert, Navratalova, no matter how many slams she wins. Hmmm. Why could that be? What is different about the three you mentioned and the monkey from the stone age?


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Leaving the racism of FedEx’s comments aside, Serena’s heart and will are incredible. Down a set and 3-0, who would have bet against her?


Hippy Chick Says:

Tennis Vagabond you can never bet against a 20 time GS champion,Serena is just two damn good,meanwhile 5th set Cilic breaks,and breaking Izzys serve is no picnic….


Okiegal Says:

Yeah, Jane I supposed she could have, had it been good, she could have walked back……or crawled……. :( LOL


Okiegal Says:

@Tennis Vagabond

Can’t believe the moderators let that comment by….needs to be removed!! Racist remark!

Whether you like her or not, she has the heart of a lion. Down 0-3 and she breaks back twice and wins the match….I thought it was a lost cause at that point. She is amazing, in my books!!


Okiegal Says:

C’mon Izzy!!


Hippy Chick Says:

John Mac getting all philosophical about the tragedies in Tunisia, and Rafa saying if it never happens again ive been in five finals,and had a great career,great perspective from both….


brando Says:

Entertaining match and was rooting for Heather all the way but I gotta be honest: felt she choked and threw the match away. Break point for 4-0 lead, serving for the match and throwing 2 soft. Soft points for 0-30. Serena was right post match: Heather should have won. Period. She did it all except for holding her nerve when it mattered most. As for Serena: disgraceful stuff. The loud grunting to put off opponents suddenly on BP, the yelling when opponent make mistakes, the dramatic, over the top behavior on points, the slow ‘I run the show’ walk to the net and then the absolutely petty ignoring of fans who wanted an autograph. Heather was gutted but signed and posed for autographs but not the diva. Pathetic stuff. Serena ain’t all that as she thinks she is. Rafa and Novak said it without quite saying it: she’s a genetic freak who uses her obvious advantage to bully the minnows who cannot compete with her physicality. It’s like having a high school teenager putting on a pair of gloves and fighting mike Tyson just because your male and same age. The rest are at a unfair advantage competing with Serena and it’s the ONLY reason why she’s so far ahead. Skill got nothing to do with it. When Heather had her moving around she was exposed quite badly.


Hippy Chick Says:

8 All Izzy/Cilic match,marathon match ala Isner/Mahut lol?….


skeezer Says:

They should loosen the white policy a little.

Isner benefited the most from the match being called by darkness. He was just hanging in there with his Serve. His legs were gone, Cilic looked fresher running around.
To tomorrow!


Michael Says:

It is good to have rules. But it should be fair, equitable, transparent and applied without partiality !!

Top story: Sinner Swallows Up Zverev For Second Straight Australian Open, 3rd Slam