"Not comfortable" - Novak Djokovic revisits Rafael Nadal's 'long shorts' phase and Andre Agassi's 'jeans shorts' era
Novak Djokovic recently revealed that he wasn't comfortable with Andre Agassi's short shorts and the "jeans shorts", or Rafael Nadal's "long shorts with sleeveless style" while playing tennis.
The former World No. 1 is currently defending his title at Wimbledon. On Monday, July 3, in the opening-round match, the Serbian beat Pedro Cachin in straight sets as he intends to win his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.
Having already won this year's Australian Open and the French Open, the Wimbledon title will pave the way for him to win the calendar Grand Slam, given that he wins his fourth US Open title in September 2023.
Amidst all of his on-court achievements, Djokovic is yet to fully understand the importance of wearing short shorts in tennis, as revealed by him during a recent interview with British GQ. Elaborating further, the tennis icon said that he wouldn't be "super comfortable" wearing short shorts.
"I don't know if the new generations, including myself, would be super comfortable wearing short shorts. You can see these muscle-y thighs," he said.
Continuing further, the World No. 2 recalled Agassi's famous denim shorts outfit, which the American extensively wore during the 1988 and 1989 US Opens. The Serb also spoke about Nadal's long shorts with sleeveless shirts earlier in his career. The 23-time Grand Slam winner remarked that he wasn't comfortable with long shorts and that he was instead more into 'classic' outfits.
"Do you remember Agassi was the first one that got those short jeans shorts? Then Nadal was the first to play with the extra long shorts, like over the knee type of length with the whole sleeveless style. I don't know, that's not really comfortable for me. I was always more into being quite classic,” the Serbian said.
The Serb also shed light on the choice of outfits that he wears during his matches. He revealed that he intended to blend in with the surface of the court to deceive his opponent's peripheral vision.
"I always want to blend with the colours of the court the surface or the background because it does play a role (however minor) in the match, the peripheral vision has an effect when you play because it's a very dynamic game and everything happens really quick," Djokovic added.
Wimbledon 2023: Novak Djokovic will take on Jordan Thompson in 2R
Novak Djokovic will lock horns with Australian Jordan Thompson in the second round of Wimbledon.
While the Serbian had an easy win over Pedro Cachin in the first round, Thompson rallied from two sets down to beat American Brandon Nakashima in a five-set thriller.
The duo has yet to face each other on the tour.