London, July 4 (IANS) Portuguese Tennis player Francisco Cabral paid tribute to his friend and footballer Diogo Jota after the Portuguese forward passed away, alongside his brother Andre Silva, in a car accident on Thursday.

The All-England Club announced that it would relax its strict all-white dress code for players after Jota’s death to allow those on court to pay tribute. The 28-year-old Cabral wore a black ribbon on his shirt to pay tribute to the late footballer.

Cabral, who is ranked 40 in Men’s doubles, and partner Lucas Miedler were knocked out of the Championship’s doubles competition Friday, losing 3-6, 6-7(9) to Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl.

The accident involving Jota took place around 12:30 am local time in the Spanish province of Zamora. According to the Spanish police, Jota’s car veered off the road while trying to overtake another vehicle. A tyre blowout caused the car to lose control and catch fire. Sadly, both Jota and his brother died at the scene.

As per a report by ESPN, the funeral will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. local time in the Portuguese town of Gondomar, after the bodies arrived in their hometown on Thursday. The funeral will be held at the Matriz de Gondomar church, located 33 kilometres from Porto. A wake will take place from 4 p.m. local time on Friday.

Jota, 28, was a key figure for both Portugal and Liverpool. Since joining the Premier League club in 2020, he has helped them win major trophies, including the Premier League, FA Cup, and two EFL Cups. In his time at Anfield, he scored 65 goals in 182 matches and was widely admired for his work ethic and ability to deliver in crucial moments.

For Portugal, Jota earned 49 caps and netted 14 goals. He was part of the squad that lifted the UEFA Nations League title in 2019 and again in 2025, when Portugal defeated Spain in the final.

Speaking after his Round 1 victory, Cabral said, “I have seen the very sad news. The guy is a big name, not just in Portugal but in the world.

“He was a great human being with a nice family and three kids. My best wishes to them all. For his family, it is very tough to recover from that,” he added.

–IANS

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