By TAMARA PRENN and PA MEDIA
Published: 18:16 EDT, 4 July 2025 | Updated: 18:16 EDT, 4 July 2025
Portuguese number one Nuno Borges has said Wimbledon officials denied a request to wear a Portugal football shirt on to court in tribute to Diogo Jota, after the Liverpool forward's death in a car crash.
Instead he wore a black ribbon pinned to his hat during Friday's third-round defeat against Karen Khachanov, but said his team had initially pushed for a more visible tribute.
'I know Wimbledon is usually not very flexible with attire,' Borges told the PA news agency.
'But I was told we could still do something to pay our respects for what happened, so I think it was a nice gesture.
'He was a great footballer. It was a tragedy.'
Borges, who lost a five-set thriller to the 17th seed, said his agent contacted Wimbledon about the idea of wearing a Portugal shirt, and even tried to source a white version to comply with dress rules, but it was not approved.
Cabral shared a poignant message after hearing of Jota's death on his way into SW19
The doubles world No40 called Jota a 'great man' and an 'icon' in their shared homeland
'We initially talked about getting a full jersey to walk on court,' he said.
'I even tried to find one in white, but it was turned down, so we ended up doing something a little smaller.'
Asked if Wimbledon should have allowed the shirt, he said: 'I think that's what makes Wimbledon special and different from every other slam, so I really don't know.'
Other tennis stars Francisco Cabral and Neal Skupski stepped onto court sporting black ribbons in tribute to Jota in the wake of the Liverpool star's tragic death on Thursday morning.
The Portugual international was driving through Zamora in northern Spain with his brother Andre Silva in a bid to catch a ferry that would take him back to England to link up with his side ahead of pre-season.
The 28-year-old's death has plunged both his home country and his adopted one into mourning, with Premier League fans travelling to Anfield to pay tribute to the forward.
In SW19, the All England Club announced that they would relax their stringent all-white rules for players on-court to allow those who wished to sport armbands or tributes to do so.
Cabral heard of Jota's death as he was making his way into Wimbledon ahead of his doubles clash with Jamie Murray and Rajeev Ram, and told Mail Sport that although he didn't know the player personally, he knew through a mutual friend that he was a 'great guy'.
Nuno Borges wore his ribbon pinned to his hat during his singles match vs Karen Khachanov
Neal Skupski opted to wear his on his shirt front after suffering the double heartbreak of losing both Jota and his unwell grandmother on Thursday
'Very, very sad news, not only in the sports world but in Portugal overall, because he's such an idol, such an icon, such a good person,' Cabral said on Thursday.
'I got the news when I was driving to Wimbledon. I just wish all the best for his family. I know they have good people around them so I hope they can get through it.
'I know what he's been through, what he conquered through his career and through his life. So he's just very inspiring for me.'
Doubles world No40 Cabral and his partner Lucas Miedler faced off with Petr Nouza and Patrik Riki on Court No5, where they lost in straight sets.
Cabral sported the ribbon on his shirt sleeve, while Borges chose to wear his pinned to his hat during his singles match against Karen Khachanov.
Another doubles player, Liverpool superfan Skupski, had also suggested that he might sport an armband for his mixed clash alongside US star Desirae Krawczyk, which took place on Friday.
The British star suffered a double heartbreak on Thursday as he learned that his grandmother had also passed away after he and partner Joe Salisbury defeated Joshua Paris and Charles Broom.
'It's been a tough day,' said Skupski. 'I found out this morning that Jota had passed away and then I just found out my nan had passed today as well, so it's been a very tough day.'
Skupski had brought a black armband with him, but opted not to wear it as he was aware that his grandmother was unwell.
He did however hint that 'in the coming days', he might consider doing so, and chose to wear the black ribbon in honour of both his grandmother and Jota as he and Krawczyk took on Sadio Doumbia and Wu Fang-hsien.
WimbledonDiogo Jota