Taylor’s having a big week. Taylor Fritz, that is—who else could we be talking about?—who has sailed through Wimbledon’s first, second, and third rounds, defeating both Dusan Lajovic and Patrick Kypson in straight sets, then Lorenzo Sonego. That first victory was particularly flashy: the American, No.7 in ATP’s world rankings, came out on Court One wearing a white suit over his tennis kit, a very stylish callback to Roger Federer’s similar outfit for his successful 2007 Wimbledon Championship campaign. “You show up in a full outfit and get snipped in the first round, you kind of look stupid,” Fritz said afterwards, admitting it was a move that would make a loss even more painful.
But he didn’t lose—he won, and then won some more 48 hours later. Rather than tempting fate, that suit must’ve bestowed some powerful aura upon him. Another good luck charm was the watch he wore with it: a yellow gold Rolex Daytona, with a white dial to match his outfit. For starters, gold and white is a very powerful combo; summer coded, while also providing a bit of a flashy upgrade to the usual preppiness of Wimbledon’s all-white dress code.
The actual watch is apt too: a Rolex, which like Fritz’s suit is a heavy Federer reference, given the Swiss legend’s long association with the brand. Federer has naturally worn a bunch of Daytonas in his time—being one of Rolex’s more complex, chunky pieces, it’s popular with sportsmen—including an obscenely rare sapphire-studded version. More modern tennis greats are partial to one too, like Carlos Alcaraz, who also has a Daytona in yellow gold, albeit with a blue dial and black rubber strap. Jannik Sinner, similarly, has a Daytona in rose gold he often goes for.
Compared to these, Taylor Fritz’s Daytona looked positively restrained, insofar as a sold gold Rolex can be. He’s signalling an association with these champions without pretending he’s quite on their level—yet. Federer has long since retired to a very big house somewhere in Switzerland, while Alcaraz is currently out of action due to a wrist injury. Sinner is playing at Wimbledon though, and Fritz’s aspirations will have to come up against the Italian sooner or later. Maybe he’s cooking up another outfit for it. Either way, it’s his wrist we’ll be keeping an eye on in matches to come.
[Via British GQ]
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