Paris: With complete swop-outs every couple of months in the clothing he wears by fashion-forward Japanese sponsor Uniqlo, Novak Djokovic - like other top players - is never short of an on-court “uniform.”
And like Roger Federer, the world number one Serb also keeps at least one copy of every outfit while donating the rest just to keep his Monte Carlo closet space somewhat clear.
Djokovic said that it is his family and friends who receive the majority of the barely-used castoffs. “I have two younger brothers, who both play tennis - so that’s where the first delivery, the first bag goes.
“Then it’s friends around me, my team, family. My charity foundation, as well. We work with a lot of schools and kindergartens back in Serbia, so we try to give as much help in addition to all the programs that our foundation has.”
The French Open top seed said that any particular outfit lasts a maximum of a few months before it is changed, so he is constantly aware of keeping the recycling effort rolling.
“Already the next one (grass-court outfit) is coming in, I don’t like to keep them (old ones) at home. I like to give to people that would appreciate something. But I always keep at least one sample of this collection for nice memory and for maybe tomorrow, something like for a museum.”
The 28-year-old added that in his tennis “old age,” he has become more conservative and corporate in what he wears. But he still recalls his wilder days and the period when he played in gear featuring dragons and birds on the back of his shirt with (previous sponsors) Tacchini and Adidas.
He laughingly called that his “rough period,” adding: “I’m not intending to do that again. Now it’s more conservative and trying to keep it elegant.”
Petko doesn’t mind the mess of sloppy German clay courts
French Open women’s tenth seed Andrea Patkovia has admitted that despite the elegant grooming of the Roland Garros clay which sets the world standard for the tennis surface, she is quite at home with what she called the sloppier German version of the dirt.
“If you have ever played on German clay courts, they are much worse,” said the player who exited in the third round to Sara Errani.
“The courts are a lot heavier and a lot dirtier. But I actually like the German courts, I grew up on them. Here it’s just really nice how—or it’s really challenging to adjust to the different conditions every day. Because it really changes tremendously with each degree that the temperature rises or falls.”
Petkovic added: “This is probably the grand slam where the conditions can change most in a few days. So it’s really challenging, but I love it. It’s my one of my favourite tournaments and I always play well.”
