I know I'm in the minority...but I kinda dig the shorts...I like different, edgy, and funky...


Indian Wells, California - The brown, orange and grey diamond-checked tennis shorts debuted by Rafael Nadal for this edition of the Indian Wells Masters may soon be consigned to the closet by the Spaniard. "It's different, more different than usual," the defending champion admitted after reaching the fourth round over Mario Ancic 6- 2, 6-2 on Monday.

"It was a little bit fashion(able) for me, I think. Is too much, a little bit, for me, but it's going to be (worn) for this tournament."

The look more suited to a greying pensioner on a desert golf course than an athlete in his prime will go down as a stylistic miss for sponsor Nike, after a run of hits.

While Nadal was too good-mannered to give the look the thrashing it deserves, the world number three does have a plan for the shorts, which are paired with a white shirt featuring an orange stripe, which does not appear to closely match the orange in the knee-length shorts.

Looking ahead to the next Masters event, which begins in a week: "I change everything for Miami."

The Spaniard said that he pays only minimal attention to his match clothing and has no superstition about the pink shirt he was given for last year's French Open.

Of course, 2009 was the only time the king of clay ever suffered a loss at Roland Garros, going down to Robin Soderling in the fourth round.

"I'm not superstitious," he said. "The colour of the shirt doesn't affect anything of the game."

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