Why was Novak Djokovic allowed to wear non-white knee protection gear at Wimbledon despite traditional dress code? All you need to know

Amid all the white at the All England Club, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic added a tinge of grey on the second day of the 2024 Championships. While all was seemingly okay, he sure was the talk of town because of it.

The 37-year-old Serb kicked off his nineteenth campaign at SW19 with a thumping 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over Vit Kopriva in his opener. The blowout came as no surprise to the fans in attendance, but his grey knee sleeve strapped around his right leg sure did.

Djokovic suffered a meniscus tear at the 2024 French Open and underwent surgery shortly afterwards (June 5). Playing in his first match since the injury, he made sure to walk onto court with the extra protection.

While it would have been just fine quite literally anywhere else, questions about whether it complied with the all-white Wimbledon dress code popped up. The All England Club has strict dress codes at the venue, with all players required to be dressed in 'suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white.' It is applied from the point at which the player enters the court.

Djokovic addressed the concerns at the end of the match and admitted that he tried very hard to find a white sleeve. He did, however, secure the permission of the organizers to wear the sleeve, and additional re-confirmation from the umpire before the start of the match.

The Serb said (via ATP Tour):

“I did check. I actually just met chairwoman just before walking onto the court. She gave me thumbs up, so it was okay. Of course, we did check in the days prior if we have permission. We're trying to find a white one, trust me."

He also brought up Franes Tiafoe's black sleeve, suggesting that his choice of color was "slightly" better in terms of compliance with the all-white scheme at the Club. His search for a white sleeve meanwhile continues as he plans to show up with it at the start of his next match on Thursday.

“I saw Frances Tiafoe played, he had actually a black colour sleeve. Gray, I think it's maybe slightly better towards the white. I know it's not ideal. I like to go all white and I like to respect the rules. But I got the permission. I said to them that I will give our best for next match, the white one.”

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Novak Djokovic to take on Briton Jacob Fernley in round two

Novak Djokovic will take on world No. 277 Jacob Fearnley in the second round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2024 - Getty Images

The 22-year-old British wilcard opened his campaign with an emphatic 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(12) victory over Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas. Asked about how he plans to beat Djokovic ahead of their encounter, he conceded that he remains clueless (via Daily Mail):

"I don’t think many people have the answer to that. I have no idea. I’ve watched so many videos of him. It doesn’t look like there’s many flaws in his game."

Fernley played his first-ever maind draw match at the Rothesay International last week, going down to compatriot Billy Harris in straight sets in the first round.