Silly question, but how do you know what you’ll want to wear in a year and a half? Rafael Nadal told GQ that his team worked on all his outfits a year and a half in advance. He said: “It’s something I really enjoyed.” This morning I chose my jumper in the dark of my kot (Belgian student room), for the 7:32 train. It’s green. I found out at Ottignies station.
I read the whole article twice. For the first eight to ten years of his career, decisions were made from photos on a computer, and the real result could be completely different. So someone looked at a screen, said “yes, that one”, and what turned up for real could look nothing like the photo. Was nobody allowed to touch the fabric first?
What I find lovely is what comes next. Nadal calls those pirate trousers and sleeveless shirts “horrible”. But he also says that back then he forged his identity, that people recognised him by those outfits, with his long hair and his bandana. So the failed outfit became the famous outfit. I checked, and actually nobody knows how you avoid that.
A year and a half ahead, I dream of it. I find out my interclubs (Belgium’s weekend team league) kit on Sunday at five to ten, in the boot of the car.
He says he’s proudest of the outfits from later in his career. I did the maths for myself: if I start today, my ideal intern outfit is ready in April 2028. My internship ends before that. Anyway, I still have a lot to learn.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
