After Jean-Julien Rojer won his second Grand Slam men’s doubles title on Friday, a question about his Statue of Liberty shirt seemed obvious and innocuous.
Rojer, who partnered with Horia Tecau to beat Feliciano López and Marc López, 6-4, 6-3, in the United States Open final, was not the first player to wear New York-inspired imagery on his shirt. Radek Stepanek has worn several shirts with skyline designs, which he said curried favor with the New York crowd.
But wearing the Statue of Liberty shirt was not a superficial gesture, Rojer told ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi during the trophy ceremony.