Over the years Roger Federer has proved that he is perhaps the most stylish player of the current generation if not of all-time. The Swiss superstar who has a cult status across the globe opened about his unmatched style, both on and off the court.
Federer, who skipped the entire European clay-court season, was in conversation with GQ magazine, where he made a number of disclosures about his sense of style, which has undergone a massive transformation in the last two decades.
Federer said: “I don’t understand how I used to wear [size] extra large, but that’s how we used to dress. Sampras and Agassi used to wear this baggy stuff. It was just a trend, so in hindsight, I think, ‘Was I crazy to wear XL at 17?’ But you wanted to think you were big and buff, even when you weren’t yet. Now we look stronger and slimmer because of the way we wear it. That’s where the power of clothes is so important: it really can change your entire look. Look what Rafa did, when he went from the sleeveless tops and the Capri pants to the more sophisticated look and you’re like, ‘Oh my god, he looks much more muscular and like he lost weight’, but he didn’t do anything.”
He added: “At Wimbledon, we tried to bring back the history of the game when they walked out in jackets or cardigans. We tried to push the envelope – sometimes a bit too much. But it was fine. These moments stay memorable, and I was willing to take chances. There was the all black at the US Open, which was a pretty big deal, because nobody really wore all black. When somebody wore black shoes, it was like, ‘Wow, black shoes!’ It was especially good at night. I think that tennis has always had a big opportunity to mix it up. We have 12 different outfits a year and tennis has a lot of history and street cred. We’ve kind of lost that because it’s got so aggressive and everything has to be breathable, durable, the shoes and everything. We’ve moved away from it, so I’ve tried to bring a little bit of style into tennis.”
