Famous for its strict all-white dress code on the court,
Wimbledon is just as serious about policing attire worn in the Royal Box --
just ask Lewis Hamilton.
The current Formula
One champion showed up at Sunday's men's final dressed in a floral shirt and
Panama hat, apparently unaware of Centre Court's jacket and tie policy for male
guests of the Royal Box. This, despite posting a photo on Instagram earlier in
the day of his copy of the Guide for Royal Box Guests issued by the All England
Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
"Due to a
misunderstanding over dress code, he is disappointed to have missed the
final," confirmed Hamilton's spokesman to the media.
Although the 30-year-old Brit did have the option of buying an
£85 ($132) Ralph Lauren tie from the Wimbledon gift shop, finding a blazer may
have proved more challenging. He left before the conclusion of the final,
missing out on Novak Djokovic's
four-set victory over Roger Federer.
Hamilton's gaffe
left him unable to rub shoulders with Hollywood royalty. Guests in the Royal
Box included actors Hugh Grant, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate Winslet and Bradley
Cooper.
Recently, Wimbledon has come under fire by tennis pros for
tightening its patrol over wearing visible colors on the court.
Fiery Australian
Nick Kyrgios was asked to flip his headband inside-out during play in the third
round because it was too colorful. Ironically, the headband was a
Wimbledon-issued product sold in its gift shop for £6 ($9.)
Recently, Federer
and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands have both criticized Wimbledon for being too
strict with its no-color of any kind policy on the court. Federer called the
rules "ridiculously strict" before the tournament, citing players
from previous generations who displayed colorful stripes on their shirts with
no repercussions.
Mattek-Sands
claimed she was nervous wearing colored underwear under her whites.
"Obviously that's a no go this year," she said after her second round
victory.
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