Roger Federer moaning? Surely not, and moaning about Wimbledon? Surely some mistake!
Well, yes, he did indeed have a good old moan, but I think he may be wrong...
Ah, Wimbledon - the gentle thwack of the balls as a backdrop to strawberries and cream, with Roger Federer strutting his chiselled jaw for us all to swoon at - it's an image that screams 'SUMMER.'
Ok, the thwack is swamped by the grunting of the players, the strawberries cost a tenner, and it's probably pouring with rain. Add in the fact that Roger Federer is moaning, and welcome to 2015!
Roger has been moaning about Wimbledon's famous rule that the players have to wear 'attire that is almost entirely white.'
At the French Open he wore a purple top and bright orange shorts, but said that wouldn't be happening at Wimbledon where the rules had got 'ridiculously strict.'
Well, excuse us!
Excuse any concept of tradition, why don't you!
It didn't seem to bother old Roger, when Wimbledon relentlessly lifted him to the top of the tennis tree, and then to the top of the tree of *sport*, making him one of the most famous, and one of the richest sportsmen ever.
It didn't seem bother him when Bjorn Borg sat in the stand to see him get his record.
Nor did it bother him when he turned up that year in trousers coupled with cardigan and jacket for his warm up, as all the interviewers told him it 'looked classy' through stifled giggles.
No, as the love affair grew between Roger and Wimbledon, he never had a problem with the all white rule.
He shouldn't have a problem with it now either!
Unless his sponsors Nike have suddenly stopped doing white tennis clothes for him to whack his 'RF' logo on to, I can't see what the problem is- in fact, I'd go further and say I like the all white rule. In fact I *love* it!
It's one of the things that makes Wimbledon what it is. If you ask any tennis player which tournament they'd like to win, it would be Wimbledon. It's set apart from the others.
Roger has said this many times himself over the years.
There are a few things that set it apart, the grass surface for one, but it's really the traditions of it that make it stand out, and a huge part of that tradition is the white clothes rule. Get rid of that rule, and Wimbledon becomes just another major to add to the list.
The fact that Wimbledon held fast with this rule throughout the years, despite numerous attempts by players to test the limits of it, makes all the more reason to keep it now.
I've noticed over the last few years that the players stopped trying to push the limits, instead they embraced it, enjoying the special feeling of wearing white only as part of what makes Wimbledon unique. Although it must be said, some of the ladies are pushing their luck on the, er, undergarment front...
So no, I'm not having it Roger, I'm really not!
If you don't like the all white rule after all these years, if your need to wear purple and orange is so great, you could always just not play. I suspect that won't be what happens though.
If I'm honest, I was surprised to hear that he'd said it in the first place, and even though I'm sure the TV interviewers will bring it up, I'm rather hoping he doesn't say it again. He's trodden the line so well both on and off court for so many years, but I think this time Roger got it wrong.
Don't you?
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