PORTUGUESE Wimbledon stars Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges wore black ribbons in memory of Diogo Jota.
The Liverpool forward, 28, passed away in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Shutterstock EditorialFrancisco Cabral wore a black ribbon in tribute to Diogo Jota[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialCabral said paying tribute made him ‘very happy’[/caption]
PACompatriot Nuno Borges then followed suit[/caption]
APDiogo Jota died in a car crash on Wednesday[/caption]
Cabral, who partners Austrian Lucas Miedler, took to the court this morning for his second-round doubles clash against Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl.
He was seen wearing a commemorative black ribbon on the sleeve of his shirt to mark Jota’s death.
Cabral and Miedler saw off Jamie Murray and Rajeev Ram on the day of the footballer’s passing.
In an emotional post-match interview, Cabral said: “I didn’t know him personally. But I know a friend who knew him. A great guy.
“Obviously, very, very sad news. Not only in the sports world but in Portugal overall.
“He’s such an idol. Such an icon. Such a good person. I am very sad to hear what happened.
“I got the news when I was driving to Wimbledon. I wish all the best for his family.
“He had great people around him. I hope they can get through it.
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“He was really hard working, what he had come through, what he had conquered in his career and life. Very inspiring for me.
“He plays in the national team. One of the best teams in the world. I followed the games and when he scored, I was happy for him.
“In the back of my head while I was playing, I was sad as everyone is in Portugal. I had to play the game. I had to focus on my game. I’m sad, of course.”
What we know so far:
Diogo Jota has died aged 28 in a car crash alongside his brother André
Liverpool FC coming to terms with “unimaginable loss”
Liverpool ace’s tragic final post just hours before dying in car crash
Tributes for star forward pour in including Prince William and ex-Liverpool greats
Jota only got married 10 days ago to longterm partner Rute Cardoso
Heartbroken Cristiano Ronaldo says crash “doesn’t make sense”
Read Portuguese FA’s heartbreaking statement in full
Jota was one of football’s good guys
Cabral added that he was hoping someone could arrange a “black strip” for him to wear today.
The Porto-born star said it would make him “very, very happy to do it”.
Singles ace Borges faced Karen Khachanov in the evening and had the black ribbon on his cap.
Wimbledon chiefs gave players permission to wear black armbands in tribute to the footballer.
That is despite the tournament’s strict all-white dress code.
Jota passed away alongside his brother Andre Silva, 25, when the tyre on their Lamborghini suddenly burst in northern Spain.
They were on their way to catch a ferry back to the UK as the Premier League winner could not fly due to recently undergoing lung surgery.
AFPCabral plays men’s doubles with Lucas Miedler[/caption]
PABorges attached the ribbon to his cap[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
