Carlos Alcaraz is bucking tennis tradition. It is a testament to the fact that the current world number one does things his way. Even if it means wearing a bucket hat. When Alcaraz showed up to the pre-Wimbledon press conference donning the hat, it raised eyebrows, to say the least.
Just a week prior, Alcaraz had been announced as the brand ambassador of Luis Vuitton. It was bold of him to arrive at the press meet in a NikeCourt bucket hat. Moreso because of Wimbledon‘s dress code.
The official dressing rule is that “competitors must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white and this applies from the point at which the player enters the court surround.”
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The rule also says that “Caps (including the underbill), headbands, bandanas, wristbands, and socks must be completely white except for a single trim of color no wider than one centimeter (10mm).”
While the hat itself may seem ordinary, what stands out is the young Spaniard’s refusal to conform to set standards. You can see it in his playing and in his choice of apparel. He is always pushing the limits.
Young Alcaraz is a bit of a history lover since a lot of players like Rod Laver used to wear these bucket hats in the past. Since his appearance in the bucket hat, it has become his style statement, and people have come to associate him with it.
Nick Kyrgios caused a bit of a stir last year when he wore a pair of red Jordans on the court. When asked why he broke one of the SW19 rules, he said, “I do what I want.” While Alcaraz’s hat is not as audacious, it is still a statement.
Carlos Alcaraz never fails to make a subtle style statement
Alcaraz showed up at Indian Wells sporting a unique pair of shoes, to pay homage to his grandfather. His shoes had a special engraving on them, his grandfather’s 3 C’s- cabeza, corazón, and cojones. They translate to head, heart, and balls.
The motto has been Alcaraz’s foundation in life. The Spaniard also got it tattooed when he won the US Open. The shoe sported icons that represented each motto.
Carlos Alcaraz unveils new Nike signature shoe:
– ‘Just do 1t’ celebrating him reaching world No.1
– ‘Cabeza, Corazon, Cojones’ in text + icons – the three C’s life mantra his grandfather passed on to him(Two tennis balls for ‘cojones’ was a somewhat brilliant artistic choice) pic.twitter.com/oeofYLAT0g
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) March 10, 2023
In addition to Nike’s tagline “Just Do It”, the ‘I’ was replaced with ‘1’ to mark his ascent to the top of the ATP rankings in 2022. Carlos Alcaraz is an exciting talent and he is one of the frontrunners to reach the Wimbledon final.