Tennis: The controversial rule (nd-aktuell.de)

Wimbledon is the oldest and most traditional tennis tournament in the world: First held in 1877, the 135th edition was played this year – and some rituals of the tournament organized by the All England Tennis Club still exist today. Strawberries with cream have always been offered to the public during the event and the players have to compete on the grass pitch in all white.

Strawberries with cream will be there again next year, when thousands make a pilgrimage to the “Mecca of tennis” to watch the best in the world hit the fist-sized yellow ball back and forth over the net for hours with ease and elegance. The strict dress code during the games will also remain in place, but in future the tennis players will be allowed to wear dark underpants instead of white under the white outfits, as the organizers announced in a press release on Thursday.

This should make it easier for the athletes to play during their period. “We strive to support the players and to listen to their feedback on how they can do their best,” Wimbledon managing director Sally Bolton is quoted as saying. For the future, the adjustment of the dress code means “that women and girls who compete in the championships have the opportunity to wear colored underpants if they wish”. The new provision will apply from next year.

With the change, the organizer is reacting to the ongoing criticism of its dress code. During this year’s tournament, a group of protesters wearing white shirts and red underpants called for the dress code to be changed. Sporting greats such as Judy Murray, tennis coach from Scotland, or superstar Roger Federer have also criticized the rule in the past. Murray recently spoke to the Daily Mail about the problem of playing tennis in white when you’re menstruating. “If you wear white and you might leak while playing – I can’t think of anything more traumatic,” said the mother of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. The Swiss Federer described the compulsion to wear a white outfit in 2015 as “quite extreme” and even as a “small shame”.

The “all-white rule” at Wimbledon was originally introduced to prevent “embarrassing” sweat stains from wearing white clothing in the noble sport. It just took the All England Club almost 150 years to understand that bloodstains on underpants can also be uncomfortable for players and to adjust their rules accordingly. For Murray, the decision shows how important it is that “women are represented in decision-making bodies because they understand what it is like to have menstrual cycles and they know the fear that they will occur when playing tennis”.

The Wimbledon dress code controversy is long-standing. Former US tennis player Andre Agassi decided not to take part in the prestigious tournament at the end of the 1980s because he did not want to comply with the regulations. Canadian Eugenie Bouchard was cautioned by the referee in her first round match in 2015 because her black bra was showing under her white clothing. In the same year, the Czech Barbora Strýcová complained about the dress code control: “It’s very strange when someone wants to look under my skirt to see if I’m also wearing white underpants.”

So that’s the end of it now. At the Wimbledon Championships 2023 from July 3rd to 16th, the players can decide for themselves in which underwear they want to play on the “sacred lawn”. However, all other clothing and shoes must remain white.