Novak Djokovic Accused of Copying Roger Federer’s Wimbledon Outfits After Appearing in Unique Lacoste Blazer

Novak Djokovic defeated Wu Yibing in four sets at Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic Accused of Copying Roger Federer’s Wimbledon Outfits After Appearing in Unique Lacoste Blazer

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Every tennis fan expected Naomi Osaka to grab headlines in the fashion world with her custom outfit at the Wimbledon Championships, but it was Novak Djokovic who sent fans into a frenzy on social media with his walkout attire that had similarities with Roger Federer’s 2006 Nike attire at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Djokovic has always maintained a strict dress code at the All England Club by wearing an all-white Lacoste kit. But this year’s edition, he decided to wear a custom white blazer with green piping that added a touch of elegance as he took to the Center Court ahead of his match against Wu Yibing in the opening round.

The jacket included an embroidered patch on the left breast pocket that had Lacoste written on it with “ND” added to it. A crocodile and what appeared to be a goat were also embroidered on the white jacket. Most impressive about the jacket was that, as Djokovic wanted to remove it, there were written messages on the left side.

Before the start of Wimbledon on Monday (June 29), Lacoste posted Djokovic’s on-court kit on its website, including the full attire. The new custom comes as Lacoste launched the Novak Djokovic GOAT collection last week, which they revealed was in very limited supply. It has not taken long for the apparel to sell out after Djokovic paraded it at the Center Court.

However, the attire had similarities to Federer’s 2006 custom at Wimbledon. Federer paraded several collections of attire during his time as a professional player and was known for his unique personality on tour. But the same can hardly be said about Djokovic, who has on many occasions paraded unique sponsored shoes and bags. Fans on X accused Djokovic of copying Federer’s attire to look like the Swiss legend. Here are some of the fans’ reactions:

Djokovic has worn various brands throughout his career, but Lacoste has been the best match. The Serbian legend wore Adidas from 2007 to 2009, Sergio Tacchini from 2010 to 2012, Uniqlo from 2012 to 2016, and Lacoste since 2017. He has worn Lacoste in 12 Grand Slam competitions, including this year’s Wimbledon.

The 39-year-old won his opening match against Yibing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to seal his place in the second round. The Serbian legend is in a very tricky draw that includes top-ranked Jannik Sinner on his side of the draw. Djokovic will hope to get his game on track before facing the Italian star at the event.

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Novak Djokovic lauds his opponent after opening round win at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic didn’t take part in any warm-up tournament before Wimbledon. His last match on tour before taking on Wu Yibing at the All England Club came against Joao Fonseca at the French Open. He lost to the Brazilian teenager at Roland Garros despite winning two sets before dropping his level, which led to his defeat.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Jose Morgado)

Djokovic was not at his best against Yibing after three hours and 12 minutes. The 39-year-old was forced to contend with Yibing’s aggressive play and powerful serves. After overcoming Yibing, the former World No.1 opened up on the problems he encountered on the court against the Chinese star:

He put me under a lot of pressure. I’ve never faced him before; I knew that he loves hitting the ball very flat and very aggressively from the back of the court and he loves protecting the line. But he definitely surprised me with the level of every shot he had in his game from his return serves, forehand, backhand and at some point he didn’t really have a weakness.

Djokovic will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the tournament. The Serbian legend defeated Tsitsipas in the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open finals. Djokovic is the favorite to win the match despite Tsitsipas’ impressive win over Hugo Gaston in the first round on Monday (June 29).

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