The all-white dress code has been temporarily removed
The Wimbledon Championships has made a special exception for this year’s tennis players in light of Diogo Jota’s death.
In the early hours of Thursday, July 3, Liverpool FC and Portugal national team forward Jota was involved in a fatal road accident in Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva as they sought to catch a ferry to England.
Breaking a 148-year all-white dress code rule, organisers of the prestigious Grand Slam event decided that competitors could wear black armbands if they wished to pay tribute to the brothers.
Jota’s fellow countryman Francisco Cabral, who won his doubles match with Lucas Miedler against Jamie Murray and Rajeev Ram on the same day, said a few words about this great loss to the sporting world.
“I have seen the very sad news. The guy is a big name, not just in Portugal but in the world. He was a great human being with a nice family and three kids,” he told the media.
“My best wishes to them all. For his family, it is very tough to recover from that.”
Having been unable to get his hands on a black armband for the latest game out on court, Cabral suggested he’d be wearing one when they play Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl next.
Meanwhile, Jota’s Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah penned an emotional statement on X after learning of the tragic news.
“I am truly lost for words,” it began. “Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the [summer] break.
“Teammates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back.
“My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children,” Salah continued. “Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.”
Jota and his new wife Rute Cardoso were childhood sweethearts and only tied the knot last week.
