“Why must I wear white?” Andre Agassi once boycotted Wimbledon for three years straight to stand up against its ‘stupid’ traditions
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Andre Agassi (Left- IMAGO / Colorsport)
Andre Agassi was probably the poster boy of the ‘bad boy’ figure in tennis. He lived a very flamboyant and open life and didn’t hesitate to voice the strongest of opinions be it any issue. He loved playing against the rules and often went overboard with things- be it his on-court activities or his off-court antics.
Toward the start of his career, he didn’t play Wimbledon for three years straight just because he didn’t like the traditions. He first played at Wimbledon in 1987 and then skipped the next three editions just because he didn’t bode well with the traditions. Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is still following many traditions from decades ago like the walk to the center court, the all-white dress code, or the strawberry and cream tradition.
In his book, Agassi mentioned how he didn’t like London and called the Wimbledon rules arbitrary. He questioned why should he should wear white clothes. “It’s my first time at the most hallowed venue in tennis, and from the moment we arrive, I dislike it. I’m a sheltered teenager from Las Vegas with no education. I reject all that’s alien, and London feels as alien as a place can be. The food, the buses, the venerable traditions. Even the grass of Wimbledon smells different from the grass back home,” he said.
He continued: “I resent rules, but especially arbitrary rules. Why must I wear white? I don’t want to wear white. Why should it matter to these people what I wear. Above all, I took offence at being barred and blocked and made to feel unwanted.”
Andre Agassi’s love-hate relationship with Wimbledon
He also wrote how the media pestered him whenever he skipped Wimbledon because he disliked it calling him a person who misses the most important slam.
“Again, I skip Wimbledon. I hear another chorus of jeers from the media. Agassi doesn’t win the slams he enters, and then he skips the slams that matter most. But it feels like a drop in the ocean. I’m becoming desensitized,” he said.
Agassi eventually won his maiden grand slam title at Wimbledon in 1992 after losing 3 major finals previously. He also reached the final of the 1999 Wimbledon where he lost to Pete Sampras.
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