Tennis star Matteo Berrettini has revealed he was hoping to follow in Taylor Fritz’s fashionable footsteps with his own Wimbledon walk-on outfit – but fell short of the All England Club’s strict dress code because it was not ‘white enough’.
The Italian star, who like Fritz is sponsored by Hugo Boss, said he had even posted promotional images of the look – featuring a smart beige jacket – on his Instagram ahead of its big unveiling.
But he added: ‘I got refused by Wimbledon. It was not white enough. It was a little bit off-white.’
The 30-year-old, who was speaking after fending off 20th seed Arthur Fils in the second round, admitted the outfit was a ‘little brownish’ so Wimbledon ‘didn’t let me do it’, but concluded: ‘It’s okay.’
When asked if fans would see him in the piece, he added: ‘You could see it actually on my social media.
‘I posted about it. I did a shooting with that. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go on court with that.’
US star Fritz has been turning heads at SW19 with a white Hugo Boss blazer-and-trousers ensemble, paired with a scarf, which he wears as he steps onto the hallowed turf.
The All England Club is renowned for its strict all-white dress code, which applies to players from the moment they arrive on court.
Italian tennis star Matteo Berrettini posted on Instagram promotional images of the Hugo Boss outfit – featuring a smart beige jacket – he hoped in vain to wear at Wimbledon
The 30-year-old spoke out after beating 20th seed Arthur Fils in this summer’s second round
Both Berrettini and Fritz are Boss ambassadors and have previously walked the runway for the fashion house during Milan Fashion Week.
Berrettini advanced to the third round on Thursday with a 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Fils.
His previous best performance at the All-England Club was reaching the final in 2021, losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
Other stars who have been making moves to catch the eye with their fashion choices include four-time women’s singles Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka.
The player renowned for her catwalk entrances at Grand Slam had promised to ’shake things up’ after wowing the crowd for her opening match against Elsa Jacquemot by stepping out in an extravagant Japanese kimono.
Then on Wednesday Osaka, 28, made the long walk through the crowds to Court 2 for her second round encounter with Anastasia Gasanova with a tulle ivory train attached to a thick obi belt, the broad sash traditionally worn around the waist with a kimono.
That was on top of a simple Nike jacket with sleeves rolled up but flowers embroidered all over it.
Wimbledon chiefs have long been known for their scrutiny of players’ outfits, making sure to abide by a predominantly all-white dress code.
Naomi Osaka made the long walk to Court 2 with an ivory train attached to a thick obi belt
The Japanese superstar wore a white kimono for her round one game on Monday
Osaka is renowned for her catwalk entrances at Grand Slams and has done the same in SW19
Osaka said after her opening round win: ‘When I think about Wimbledon, it’s obviously the all white. It’s the oldest tournament, right? Then there’s obviously the tradition of it all.
‘When I think about that, I think about my cultures, my heritage, which is Japanese and Haitian.
‘Then if I dive deeper into like Japanese culture, I think about the most iconic silhouette, which for me is a kimono. You don’t have to see the colour of a kimono to know that it is a kimono.
‘I was also thinking about my favourite movies. I love Kill Bill. I remembered absolutely falling in love with Lucy Liu’s character.
‘She has an all-white kimono, and I remember thinking that was really cool and amazing. Then it just kind of went from there. It was like my interpretation of that while also paying a lot of respect and love to Japan.’
Also turning heads with on-court attire this week has been US player Taylor Fritz, who strolled out for his opening match in a custom all-white suit by Hugo Boss – accompanied by matching white holdall and headband.
He said: ‘I think Boss came to me with the idea of wanting to do it, and so we did it.
‘You know, I wasn’t 100 per cent sure how I felt, but after seeing the pictures after the match, I feel like it looked all right.
US tennis player Taylor Fritz, the sixth seed in this Wimbledon’s men’s singles tournament, strolled out on to court for his opening match in a custom all-white suit by Hugo Boss
Fritz, 28, said he initially felt unsure about the Hugo Boss tie-up but later felt ‘it looked all right’
‘I think people are going to be torn. I think some people are going to like it and some people are going to think that anyone who is dressed up to walk out is doing too much.
‘[You feel] maybe not more nervous, but you show up in a full outfit and get snipped in the first round, you kind of look stupid. You look really stupid, honestly.’
Sixth seed Fritz, 28, did manage to coast into the second round by defeating Dusan Lajovic in straight sets, before victory over fellow American Patrick Kypson in the second round – again without conceding a set.
There has been an umpire’s ticking-off this week for Spain’s Jessica Bouzas, in the women’s singles, after a black undershirt appeared visible beneath her white outfit.
She later said: ‘A problem here is that they are very strict with many things.
‘I think it was a bit of black here, and you can’t do that, so I will have to sort it out. But yes, they are very strict with things like this, so now I’ll see how I can fix it.’
The strict code on any offending extra colours previously prompted tennis legend Andre Agassi to boycott the tournament for three years.
Agassi missed the 1988, 1989 and 1990 tournaments in protest at the dress code – then arrived in 1991, amid fevered speculation about what he might wear, in immaculate all-white which some interpreted as a sarcastic gesture.
Andre Agassi stayed away from Wimbledon between 1988 and 1990 due to the all-white dress code before competing in the 1991 tournament (pictured) and winning the title the next year
Spain’s Jessica Bouzas was told off by an umpire this week for a visible black undershirt
Eight-time Wimbledon men’s singles champion Roger Federer was told off in 2013 after wearing orange-soled trainers in the first round at that summer’s competition
He went on to win the Wimbledon title once in 1992, among his eight Grand Slam triumphs.
Breaches of the all-white Wimbledon dress code can potentially lead to fines of up to £15,700 – though umpires typically issue warnings first and can order a change of clothes.
Even all-time great Roger Federer has fallen foul of the restrictions – ordered in 2013 to go without the trainers with bright orange soles worn in his first round match.
The all-white guidelines had been largely adhered to by custom, since the first Wimbledon tournament in 1877, though were formalised in stricter new rules after two-time champion Maria Bueno, from Brazil, wore a pink-trimmed dress and pink underwear in 1962.
Rule number four of the tournament’s dress code states: ‘Colour contained within patterns will be measured as if it is a solid mass of colour and should be within the one centimetre (10mm) guide.
‘Logos formed by variations of material or patterns are not acceptable.’
