Wimbledon Grants Century-Old Dress Code Exemption to Honor Diogo Jota

Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges wore a black ribbon on the fifth day at the Wimbledon Championships to pay tribute to their compatriot and Liverpool star Diogo Jota, who died in a tragic car crash.

Wimbledon Grants Century-Old Dress Code Exemption to Honor Diogo Jota

Francisco Cabral, Diogo Jota (images via X)

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On Thursday, organizers at Wimbledon allowed players to wear a black ribbon to pay tribute to Liverpool star Diogo Jota, breaking away from their strict all-white dress code. Jota, 28 and his 25-year-old brother, Andre Silva passed away in a tragic car crash on 3rd July in the province of Zamora in northern Spain.

This accident happened after a Lamborghini Jota was travelling in alongside his younger brother, suffered a tire blowout while overtaking another vehicle and veered off the road before catching fire. Just 11 days prior to the crash, Jota had married his high school sweetheart Rute Cardoso, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. The news of the brothers’ death sent a deep shock to fans and the sporting community worldwide.

Francisco Cabral, wore a black ribbon on day five of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships to pay tribute to his compatriot Jota. Speaking about this gesture, the Portuguese tennis player, who is the same age as Jota said:

Yesterday, I came up with the idea of wearing a black strap, but that was not allowed. The players’ relations, they had a black ribbon, and I asked for permission.They let me play with it and I just did it this morning. It was an honor. It’s not for the best reason. But yeah, he was not only an inspiration to me but for the country in general, he meant so much in the sport. He conquered so much in his life. So it was just an honor for me to try and help, if only 1% for the family and everybody.

Cabral had partnered with Austria’s Lucas Miedler for the men’s doubles event at Wimbledon. The duo made it to the second round where they lost to the Czech pair of Patrik Rikl and Petr Nouza. In the men’s singles draw, Portuguese No. 1 Nuno Borges wore the black ribbon on his cap during his third-round match against Karen Khachanov. Other stars like Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz offered their condolences on social media.

Diogo Jota’s football legacy

Diogo Jota played for several clubs like Atletico Madrid and Wolverhampton Wanderers before he was signed for Liverpool in 2020 for a reported €41 million. Playing as a forward or a winger, Jota made appearances in 182 games, scoring 65 goals for Liverpool, helping the club to their second Premier League title in 2024–25, one FA Cup in 2021-2022 and two EFL Cups in 2021-2022 and 2023-2024.

Diogo Jota
Diogo Jota (image via Premiere League)

For Portugal, Jota was a part of the squad that took won the UEFA Nations League title in 2019 and 2025. He scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for the national team. His younger brother, Andre Silva was playing football for the Portuguese second division team Penafiel at the time of his death. Following the tragic loss, Liverpool announced its decision to “immortalize’ Jota’s jersey No.20.

Wimbledon’s all-white dress code

First held in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest Grand Slam tournament. It has a series of long-standing traditions one of it being its strict dress code. All tennis players competing in the tournament are mandated to wear all-white or at least almost all-white clothing, a rule that has existed since 1963, when Wimbledon’s first dress code was enforced.

The strict dress code has not come without controversial moments. Andre Agassi who was known for his flamboyant and expressive fashion boycotted Wimbledon for three years before clinching the title in 1992 due to his distaste for its dress code.

Even Roger Federer came under scrutiny in 2013, for wearing white Nike shoes with orange soles on court, prompting officials at Wimbledon to request him to not wear them again. In 2023, the All England Club eased their rule to allow for dark undershorts for women players, addressing concerns about menstruation.

Also Read: Jack Draper Mentions Andy Murray’s Achievements After Wimbledon Dream Ruined by Marin Cilic