LEWIS HAMILTON MISSES THE MEN’S SINGLES FINAL

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How important is the dress code in tennis? Judging from the reaction the reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton’s  experienced during the Wimbledon final, it is very important!

Despite being honored with the privilege to be invited to watch the finals in the Royal Box, he never got to see Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic go head to head. Why? Because he dressed up in a bright floral shirt and a hat instead of a jacket tie and shoes.

This is what he posted on Instragram.

On my way to Wimbledon to watch the final! Honoured to have been invited to watch the men’s finals from the Royal Box! ??

A photo posted by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) on

This is how he dressed up for the Wimbledon final. It was his first time to attend the championships. 

So, what is the Royal Box dress code? Wimbledon’s long standing tradition with regards to the dress code for guests invited to the Royal Box is SMART. Men should wear a suit/jacket and tie while ladies are not allowed to wear hats as it tends to obscure the vision of guests seated at the back. Tennis players on the other hand, their dress code is white. The wrist bands, caps, headbands and socks should have a single trim of colour which should be no wider than one centimeter.  In 2013, Roger Federer had to change his shoes because the soles were orange. The rule is that shoes must be white including the soles. This year, Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios was asked to turn his headband inside out because it had “too much colour” despite it being an official Wimbledon headband.

The game of tennis has one of the strictest dress codes. If you are invited to the Royal Box one day, remember to get the dress code right if you are an on court player, just stick to white clothing from top to bottom.

All said and done though, Wimbledon was fun and congratulations are in order for Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams!