Wimbledon officials have "demanded" Roger Federer "changes his grass court tennis shoes," according to Mike Dickson of the London DAILY MAIL. Federer's orange-soled shoes "contravene strict rules about players being clad from head to toe in gear that has to be almost totally white." His '13 Wimbledon Nike clothing line "involves orange trim around his personalised tracksuit with the famous RF logo that the shoes are meant to match." Serena Williams, who "also has custom made shoes, is believed to also have been similarly told to change to something more conventional." Tournament regulations state that manufacturers "must submit all clothing designs for inspection 90 days before the start, but there is often not quite the same formal scrutiny of footwear" (DAILY MAIL, 6/26).
WHITE OUT: Meanwhile, ESPN’s Pam Shriver noted Serena Williams wore “the same color tennis pants, all orange,” as Federer’s shoes during her first-round match Tuesday. Shriver: “Why is she allowed to wear her tennis pants that are all orange if Roger can’t have the soles of his shoes all orange?” ("Wimbledon," ESPN2, 6/26). A Wimbledon spokesperson said, "The rules state that players can wear any color underwear they like provided it is no longer than their shorts or skirt. Anything else must be white" (REUTERS, 6/26). The BBC reported in a bid to prevent such incidents, tournament regulations state that manufacturers "must submit all clothing designs for inspection some time before the start." However, there is "less intense scrutiny of shoes before play begins" (BBC, 6/26).
