Years before Novak Djokovic’s ’22’ jacket, Roger Federer’s similar outfit at Wimbledon had critics stirred up following the Swiss Maestro’s record win
Swiss tennis legend became a subject of controversy after he sported a special jacket with a special number.
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Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic
Swiss Maestro Roger Federer remains one of the most celebrated stars of the game. In a career spanning over two decades, the man from Basel received several accolades both on and off the court that put him among one of the greatest ever. On September 2022, the 41-year-old bid goodbye to the game in an emotional ceremony with his rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in attendance.
Federer holds the record of 237 consecutive weeks at the top of the rankings. He became the first man to win 20 Grand Slam titles after his 2018 Australian Open title. Though the record was later surpassed by Nadal and Djokovic, Federer’s aura still remained intact in the tennis community.
The eight-time Wimbledon champion has been voted by his peers to receive the tour Sportsmanship Award a record 13 times and voted by tennis fans to receive the ATP Fans’ Favorite award for 17 consecutive years. One of the reasons why Federer remains one of the most loved tennis icons ever is his distance from unwanted controversies.
Not only his magician-like touch on the court but off the court Federer has been celebrated as one of the most stylish athletes of his generation. In December 2019, Federer was voted by GQ readers as the Most Stylish Man of the Decade (2010–2019), ahead of many celebrities including LeBron James and David Beckham among others.
But it does not mean that the legend never made a mistake in his career. Federer too had to face the wrath of the tennis community a couple of times. In one such incident, Federer created a full-blown drama when he sported a special jacket celebrating his record-breaking Major win.
Federer courted controversy with his special jacket sporting ‘15’ in gold stitching
The year was 2009. Federer was on course to rewrite history with his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title. He was coming fresh from his Career Grand Slam achievement in the French Open earlier. In the Wimbledon final, there were some hiccups but Federer eventually overpowered his rival Andy Roddick in a five-set thriller.
This stunning win moved him ahead of Pete Sampras in the Grand Slam tally. But during the presentation ceremony, he wore a special jacket with the number ‘15’ written in gold stitching that became a source of controversy and drama. Many questioned the choice of Federer after he had just survived the match against Roddick.
Several opinions surfaced later describing the attire of Federer. Most of them were totally unfriendly. Presumptuous, arrogant, and brash to tennis neutrals were some of the words used to express resentment. One seemingly harmless choice overtook the momentous achievement of Federer, at least for a few weeks.
Nike was to take the blame for the mess
Among the divided opinions, few questions were almost universal. Was Federer so sure about his title win against the American star that he ordered a special jacket to commemorate the occasion beforehand? Or did his then-sponsor Nike play a bigger role to pick up the outfit? Eventually, the debate settled with Federer being absolved of the self-aggrandizing plans and the jacket was more a management-level marketing tool.
Federer had risen to the pinnacle of tennis but he remained as humble as ever. Behind his record were also some of the major defeats especially against Rafael Nadal in the preceding few years that kept him rooted to the ground. So it will be safe to say that the controversy, even if shortlived, was totally unnecessary.
Federer on his part too did well with not voicing his opinion on the undeserving matter. He went on with his record-breaking spree on the court and the fans remain as loyal as ever to him.
14 years later, the Serbian champ Novak Djokovic did something similar after his 2023 Australian Open triumph which raised a few eyebrows. He wore a jacket with the number ’22’ written on it signifying his total Grand Slams titles win. The outfit was identical to that of Federer’s except for one aspect. Djokovic’s outfit showed the number more prominently as it was present at the front while the Swiss’s did not look that conspicuous. Anyways, Djokovic also had to come out to defend his choice as he clarified the sponsors were again behind such a display.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)