The Wimbledon occasion is nothing if not traditional. Whether it's strawberries and cream, Pimm's or white tennis outfits, the tennis tournament's bosses do their utmost not to compromise on the standards they set.
One area where there is clearly no room for manoeuvre is the dress code to get into the Royal Box, as Formula One star Lewis Hamilton discovered when he headed exactly there to watch the 2015 men's singles final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Hamilton fell foul of Wimbledon’s strict dress code when he was rejected from the Royal Box for not wearing a jacket or tie. He had arrived at the venue wearing a bright floral shirt.
Gary Lineker was among those to criticise Wimbledon’s decision at the time, saying it showed “England as its pompous worst”.
But among those backing the call was one of Wimbledon's longest-serving employees in Swansea-born Alan Chalmers, who retired at 72 following the 2015 finals after almost 40 years of handling Centre Court's VIP security. Chalmers said at the time: "Wimbledon is not a beach in Marbella, it’s a major tennis tournament."
Chalmers told WalesOnline at the time: "It was not my job to tell Lewis Hamilton he couldn’t come in. But I would have to say it was the correct decision. He wasn’t wearing a jacket or tie. Wimbledon is not a beach in Marbella, it’s a major tennis tournament.”
Chalmers had worked on Centre Court from 1976 to 2015, handling security for the players’ guests and celebrities alike. In his time, he saw the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tom Cruise and David Beckham head to Wimbledon.
“I’m surprised the news didn’t sweep around the grounds more quickly, really,” he added of Hamilton’s wardrobe malfunction, arguing it was vital that Wimbledon retained its prestige. “It’s unfortunate, but these things happen. We have a dress code of jacket and tie and that’s that, really. We have to try and keep standards high. We have been fighting to keep them up for years so it’s important we monitor them.”
Hamilton had posted pictures on his Instagram page showing how much he was looking forward to watching the final, but ended up missing Djokovic’s three sets to one win over Federer.
In a statement, Hamilton’s spokesperson said after the incident: “Due to a misunderstanding over dress code, he is disappointed to have missed the final.”
A huge fan of tennis, Chalmers is a dealer in tennis and real tennis literature at The Tennis Bookshop, which was established in 1988. and in May 2023 was awarded the United States Court Tennis Association’s 2023 George Plimpton Prize for his “fine work as a book dealer”.
