Wimbledon makes rare dress code exception to let players honor Diogo Jota

The sports world is still reeling after the unexpected passing of Portuguese soccer players Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva—and the outpouring of grief and support is being felt all the way at Wimbledon.

Jota, 28, and Silva, 25, lost their lives in a single-car accident in Spain on Thursday, with initial reports suggesting the pair veered off the road after blowing a tire. Jota, a star forward for Liverpool in England’s Premier League, helped lead his team to the title in April. Just days before the accident, he announced on social media that he had married his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his three sons, Rute Cardoso.

In response to the tragedy, the All England Club has made a rare exception to its famously strict all-white dress code, allowing players to wear black ribbons on their shirts in tribute.

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Portugal’s top-ranked player Nuno Borges and doubles player Francisco Cabral were both seen wearing the ribbons during their matches on Friday. Cabral, who lost in men’s doubles alongside Lucas Miedler, explained that players only received permission for the tribute that morning.

“Yesterday someone suggested it and I thought it was a really good idea,” Cabral said, according to Raquetc’s Gaspar Ribeiro Lança.

“Initially it was a black armband, but through the relations office they told me this morning that they wouldn’t authorize it and the only option they gave me was to wear the black ribbon. So it was that or nothing, and it was an honor.”

The All England Club’s tradition of all-white apparel for competitors dates back to the very first tournament held there in 1877, and it became an official Wimbledon rule in 1963. It requires players to wear “suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white”—with regulations applying to everything from hats and shoes to even undergarments.

The rule has evolved over the years. In 2023, following advocacy from players, Wimbledon updated its policy to allow female athletes to wear solid mid-or dark-colored undershorts to ease menstruation-related anxiety.

There have been other notable exceptions, too: During the 2012 London Olympics, the All England Club suspended the all-white rule entirely to allow players to wear their national colors. And in 2023, Jannik Sinner received special permission to carry a custom-designed Gucci duffle bag—emblazoned in the house’s signature gold, red and green—onto court during matches.