Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral paid tribute to the Liverpool forward, who died aged 28 in a car crash on Thursday.
Nuno Borges of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in his hat in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota (John Walton/PA)open image in gallery
Nuno Borges of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in his hat in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)
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Portuguese pair Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral paid tribute to compatriot Diogo Jota by wearing black ribbons on court at Wimbledon.
Borges wore the item on his cap during his third-round singles clash with 17th seed Karen Khachanov after Cabral donned one on his shirt sleeve during his doubles match earlier on Friday as the All England Club relaxed its strict all-white dress code to allow tributes to the Liverpool forward.
Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday while travelling to catch a ferry to the UK ahead of pre-season.
Cabral said he was driving to Wimbledon when he heard the news, describing the footballer as “an idol, such an icon, such a good person” in Portugal.
After his defeat in the men’s doubles alongside Lucas Miedler, he added: “Yesterday the idea of wearing a black strap came up – that was not allowed.
“I asked for permission to use the black ribbon and they let me play with it.
“It was an honour – it was not for the best reason.
“He was an inspiration not only for me but for the country in general.”
Liverpool fan and British doubles player Neal Skupski had also brought a black armband for his match on Thursday but opted not to wear it.
The 35-year-old then found out about the death of his grandmother shortly after coming off court of his first-round win alongside fellow Briton Joe Salisbury.
Skupski suggested he may wear one later in the tournament, saying: “Maybe in the next couple of days.”