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Why Does Wimbledon Have a Dress Code But Other Tennis Grand Slams Don’t?

12 July, 2023

Player Serving at Wimbledon
Image Credit: Marc Di Luzio, flickr

Pimms and strawberries. Cliff Richard. White clothing.

In an ever-changing world, some things remain the same – Wimbledon has managed to retain many of its traditions that date back decades.

But it would be wrong to suggest that the tournament officials are stuck in their ways – they have updated the dress code to allow female players to wear coloured undershorts beneath their traditional mini dresses.

That is to alleviate some of the anxiety that the women face when playing whilst on their period, and while it may have taken Wimbledon chiefs too long to make a change that the players have been requesting for years, they have finally acted.

“I think it will remove a lot of stress for me and it’s very nice it’s being talked about,” said the world number seven, Coco Gauff.

It shocks many to learn that Wimbledon still has a dress code at all – none of the other three Grand Slam events, the Australian, French and US Opens, do, with the players allowed to wear whatever colour they wish.

So why does Wimbledon have a dress code and what is it?

What is the Dress Code at Wimbledon?

Wimbledon Mixed Doubles
Image Credit: big-ashb, flickr

There’s little room for manoeuvre or interpretation in the Wimbledon dress code, which is as exacting as a private school’s uniform in its draconian upholding of its own unique standards.

The rulebook states that all players ‘must be dressed in suitable tennis attire’ that is purely white in colour – ‘off white’ and cream are not accepted. This is for all clothing worn from the moment that the players enter the arena, so all tracksuits and jackets must conform to the white-only rule.

Any player wanting to show some individuality is warned that a coloured piping or hemline must be no wider than 1cm – that applies to clothing, hats, sweatbands and socks too.

There’s even a stack of rules relating to the colour and type of footwear worn which, you guessed it, must be white in colour.

“Shoes with pimples around the outside of the toes shall not be permitted. The foxing around the toes must be smooth.”

The rules are rarely bent or broken, with players experiencing ankle or knee pain even having to source white strapping and supports. As for players that have recently given birth, there’s no leeway either – unlike at the French Open, where Serena Williams wore her infamous catsuit after having recently given birth to her first child.

Why Do the Players Wear White at Wimbledon?

Wooden Tennis Racquet on Grass

While not to suggest that senior officials at Wimbledon are dinosaurs who are dangerously behind the times, the recent rule change that allows women to wear coloured undershorts is the first time that the dress code at SW19 has been changed in as staggering 146 years.

As to the question why the dress code is all white, nobody seems to have a definitive answer! It has been suggested that white was simply worn to help protect players against overheating during the summer months – similarly to cricket, a sport that was also founded and enjoyed by aristocracy and the upper classes.

White generally covers up sweat better too, while looking clean and tidy – before getting covered in grass stains when the players inevitably slip over on the baseline of the early Wimbledon courts.

The founding fathers of tennis were thought to prize sartorial elegance too, with spectators encouraged to follow in the footsteps of the players by dressing up in the same way they might for a day at the horse racing. To gain access to the Royal Box, fans must dress smartly or face ejection.

Whatever the reason, it appears as though the white-only rule at Wimbledon will remain for the foreseeable future.

Who Has Broken the Dress Code at Wimbledon?

Tennis Locker Room

In the early days of Wimbledon, women competitors in particular dressed in a way that covered up as much of their skin as possible – ‘modest’ might be the best way to describe it.

But rebels and trailblazers began to kick back in the early 1900s, with Suzanne Lenglen’s silk stockings and Eileen Bennett’s shorts bringing out the tournament’s stuffy organisers in a cold sweat.

Before Serena, Anne White wore an all-white catsuit at Wimbledon in 1985. It caused shockwaves through the establishment and she was told, quite forcefully by all accounts, never to wear the outfit at SW19 again. White argued that she found the catsuit more functional than the traditional mini dress, although the American would later admit she had intended to ruffle the feathers of the suits and squares at the tournament.

Accidental mistakes aren’t tolerated either. Venus Williams had mistakenly wore a pink coloured bra at Wimbledon in 2017, with the straps showing outside of her dress. Did organisers have a quiet word afterwards? No, they made her change mid-match.

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