Author
James Darton
Contributing Editor
At Floom, we’re generally of the opinion that the natural beauty and wonder of flowers are more than enough for us to enjoy. Every once in a while however, we like to indulge in a little of the superstitions that have clung resolutely to the flower world since the dawn of time (well, the Ancient Greeks at least).
Another world that is full of superstitions is of course the sporting world. With Wimbledon just around the corner, we thought we’d take a look at the ‘birth flowers’ for some of the biggest names taking to the grass this summer. Birth flowers can be traced back to Roman times and differ depending on what month you were born. Supposedly the flowers possess characteristics that are reflected in the characteristic of the person (think floral horoscopes).
Are the players’ birth flower qualities reflected in their personalities and playing styles? We’ll let you be the judges of that…
Serena Williams - September - Forget-Me-Nots
![1 Floom Magazine Wimbledon 2016 Serena Williams 2015 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_serena_williams_2015_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=9279d26856be6fc7558c0b5ddd86d606 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_serena_williams_2015_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=a7f09f3af100e27d19371c849a3a2899 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_serena_williams_2015_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=a26cff3a86d64e5f03c16f73f70b9599 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_serena_williams_2015_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=50a7993c7ca27a91a409c9773b63d669 400w)
These adorably named, delicate flowers are said to represent the qualities of patience and daintiness. Not sure that the latter in particular bears much similarity to Serena’s powerhouse performances! Kudos to the Williams sister for shaking off a pretty outdated feminine ‘quality’.
Andy Murray and Djokovic - May - Lily of the Valley
We’re torn on whether the humility supposedly represented by Murray’s birth flower is indicative of our homegrown hero’s behaviour. On the one hand, he always comes across as grounded and refreshingly free of media training, as someone who possesses a birth flower symbolising humility. On the other, he can also be pretty dismissive of those ‘beneath’ him (I’m looking at you, annoying ball boys).
Its quite nice and very vaguely interesting that Murray and Djokovic, staunch rivals in recent times, share a birth flower. We used to love Djokovic until his ill-advised (to say the least) comments about female players recently. Lily of the Valley supposedly also imbues sweetness, which was certainly lacking from careless declarations that female players should be paid less than their male counterparts.
Rafael Nadal - June - Rose
![1 Floom Magazine Wimbledon 2016 Rafael Nadal Rose 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_rafael_nadal_rose_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=45b52eca79c0b1a428ac997ba68956c2 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_rafael_nadal_rose_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=db28a431a4c578c4f4bf4b107f485178 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_rafael_nadal_rose_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=61cf7eb33368966f155997f3f6d0eda0 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_rafael_nadal_rose_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=a0209ba1719238826dac0578622e9045 400w)
In my mind at least, Nadal has always come across as the preening peacock of the tennis circuit (as a fairweather fan at most, I could be completely wrong about this and just be projecting insecurities based on his ridiculous physique). The rose therefore seems quite fitting - a symbol of perfection which Nadal no doubt strives for.
Maria Sharapova - April - Sweet Pea
![1 Floom Magazine Flower Of The Week Sweet Pea 1](https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_sweet_pea_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=fc55d1df6be2965ac30b5570fe99b06f 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_sweet_pea_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=24da2c153d0288a5f37b621e9588e6c8 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_sweet_pea_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=0042cdc3dc12f22c887f3dfb0c468535 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/1_floom_magazine_flower_of_the_week_sweet_pea_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=be098d68127abcd8311912c82ea40869 400w)
The fragrant sweet pea is a symbol of youth - perfect for a player who became world number 1 at the age of just 18. Its other quality, purity, is more open for debate, given the very recent controversies surrounding her failed drug tests…
Roger Federer - August - Gladiolus
![1 Floom Magazine Wimbledon 2016 Roger Federer Gladiolus 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_roger_federer_gladiolus_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=be83bbcca476f5cfaee2bb0691f4abb0 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_roger_federer_gladiolus_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=45ac4e14db45d432b7e665319051406d 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_roger_federer_gladiolus_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=27f177cb44c2ce020c7d44e9d69a88ee 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/1_floom_magazine_wimbledon_2016_roger_federer_gladiolus_1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=83f7882794ec112672948ab2573c8425 400w)
The Cristiano Ronaldo of his sport: slightly on the wain as he is, he’s still responsible for some of the most jaw-dropping, how-on-earth-did-he-do-that individual displays of all time. The gladiolus is a symbol of strength, something this Swiss icon possesses in abundance.