Wimbledon drops the white clothes rule (a little bit)

Wimbledon breaks with tradition. For the first time in decades, tennis players can wear dark panties under their white clothes. A relaxation of the dress code that aims to accommodate athletes during their periods.

Having your period during the Wimbledon tournament is one of the worst scenarios, recalls ex-player Aleksandra Wozniak.

“You have to deal with so much stress as a professional player. There is jet lag and game times that change. There are different beds with different pillows, so our sleep is never the same. Balls and surfaces change. You always have to adjust,” says the one who was inducted into the Canadian Tennis Hall of Fame a year ago.

“And for women, we also have to manage our periods. So when it happens and you have to wear white, it’s really less fun, ”she adds.

Players of the oldest and most legendary Grand Slam tournaments have worn white since the tournament was born in 1877, although the obligation did not arrive until 1963. The ultra-strict dress code stipulates the color of clothing, but also shoes, laces, soles, caps, headbands, bracelets and socks.

Players must be dressed in white whenever they step onto the grass pitches, and “white does not include off-white or cream,” the tournament reminds from the opening lines of its clothing rules.

But a small asterisk appeared on the eve of the 2023 tournament: “an exception is made for players who are allowed to wear plain, medium or dark colored underwear, provided they are not longer than their shorts or their skirt,” we now read at the bottom of the page.

This is because the tournament has faced a lot of criticism for several years. In the summer of 2022, demonstrations Address the dress code took place outside the stadium in suburban London. Multiple tournament champion Billie Jean King and coach Judy Murray have also publicly denounced the requirement to wear white clothing for women.

Last November, the board of the All England Club, which organizes the tournament, voted unanimously to allow women to wear colored underwear to ease period anxiety. This change also applies to the junior portion of the tournament.

“We hope these adjustments will help players focus solely on their performance by removing a potential source of anxiety,” Tournament Director Sally Bolton said in a statement announcing the rule change.

“You become aware of your body”

Over the years, players have worked out signals with their coaches in the stands in case a red stain appears on their clothes.

“You become very conscious of yourself, of your body, of your image, of what you wear when you have your period at Wimbledon”, explains Aleksandra Wozniak, who has never set up coded language with her team. coaches.

“If my mother had been there, I could have talked to her about it because I felt safe with her. But back in the day, when I was acting, we didn’t talk about our emotions, awkward or private things. We could not say that we were nervous before a match because it was frowned upon, it was seen as a weakness, ”explains the one who was a professional player from 2005 to 2018 and who welcomes the change brought by Wimbledon. .

To make sure they don’t have their period during Wimbledon, players even take the contraceptive pill without interruption, says Marie-Ève ​​Pelletier, who played doubles at Wimbledon. “Personally, I’ve never liked wearing white, whether it’s on my period or not. Because when you’re hot, it often becomes see-through and there are a lot of tennis photos that leave little to the imagination,” she says.

Polish Magda Linette, 23^e world player, also applauded the change in rules, reminding that players want to focus on sport and not on their menstruation.

“Imagine something happening, it would be all over the media and on social media,” she told The Athletic. That shouldn’t be a concern. All we want is to focus on tennis. »

Marie-Ève ​​Pelletier, who played on the professional circuit from 1997 to 2003, still says that tennis has evolved for the better in recent years. “Before, there were only tennis shorts with a small pocket for women. When the shorts arrived, it was a really good idea. And now women are allowed to play in shorts, not just skirts. It gives more choice and it’s encouraging. »

Breaches of the rules

Over the years, players – men and women – have challenged the white uniform requirement. Andre Agassi refused to play at Wimbledon because of this rule between 1988 and 1990. He, however, revealed that he regretted his decision in his biography Openyears later.

Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was also forced to change shoes after the first round of the tournament in 2013. His white shoes had orange soles.

Venus Williams was also forced to change her bra during a match in 2017 because the pink straps were visible.

In 2007, French player Tatiana Golovin was allowed to continue competing despite wearing little red panties. It is that at the time, the dress code did not dwell on the color of the underwear of the players.

But Wimbledon was then quick to tighten its rules… and then relax them again in 2023.