Portuguese tennis players pay tribute to Jota with black ribbon
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LONDON (AP) — Nuno Borges had hoped to wear a Diogo Jota soccer jersey onto the court for his match at Wimbledon on Friday, but he settled for a black ribbon on his hat instead.
The All England Club has a strict all-white dress code for players while on court, but permission to wear the ribbon was granted after Jota and his brother were killed in a car crash in Spain.
Family and friends of the Liverpool forward and his brother gathered at a chapel where their bodies were brought for a wake on Friday, a day after the fatal crash.
Borges, who at No. 37 is Portugal’s highest-ranked tennis player, told the PA news agency that his agent contacted Wimbledon about the idea of wearing Jota’s national team jersey as a tribute, but it wasn’t approved. Tournament officials did not immediately comment late Friday.
Borgest lost his third-round match to Karen Khachanov in five sets.
Francisco Cabral wore a black ribbon on his left sleeve during a doubles match.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis