Roger Federer had to change his shoes today after the officials at Wimbledon ruled that his orange-soled Nikes violated the tournament’s rules.
The All England Club requires players to where all white when they step on the court. Federer’s shoess were white but they also had orange soles. This, of course, is against the rules.
It isn’t too shocking that the Orange Nike shoes were banned from the tournament but it is a surprise that it happened to Federer. USA Today , who called Federer the “most refined” player of his generation, writes: “Federer not having proper decorum at the All England Club is as jarring as Prince Philip showing up to afternoon tea in jorts.”
Helen Scott Smith of Swiss Regional Radios said that she was “shocked” to learn that Federer had violated the rules. Scott Smith also expressed concern since the courts at Wimbledon have been slippery during this tournament .
Scott Smith said: “We hope his new tennis shoes will be as efficient.”
Nike created a unique outfit for Federer at the Wimbledon tournament and some people claim that the company may have purposefully violated the tournament’s rules in order to gain some publicity.
After learning that their shoe had been banned, Nike said : “The AELTC have requested that Roger change the orange-soled version of his Nike Zoom Vapor 9 Tour LE shoes due to their ‘predominantly white’ shoe and clothing guidelines. We are of course happy to comply with this.”
