In England, they suddenly broke with an 80-year-old tradition. And they allowed tennis players to wear black panties

The Wimbledon tournament this year was remembered not only for the scandal with the non-admission of Russians, but also for the unprecedented criticism from many tennis players. In particular, the girls opposed the archaic rule that determines the color of the athletes’ uniforms. According to the regulations, you can only compete in white!

However, the organizers failed to hold their positions. The British surrendered under public pressure – and introduced colored shorts into circulation.

Stress and harm to health

The main grass tournament in the world has always been full of symbolism: a special attitude towards the fans, the atmosphere in the stands, the dress code for spectators and, of course, for tennis players. No sportswear, no flashy accessories. Exceptionally white.

The organizers even regulated the size of the colored stripes that can be placed on the form – no more than 1 cm. In general, everything is quite strict, but it was precisely because of these requirements that this Grand Slam tournament was considered the most stylish in the entire tour.

This rule also has a practical meaning: traces of sweat, according to the organizers, are not so noticeable on the white clothes of tennis players. However, in recent years, this limitation, to put it mildly, raises many questions.

Wimbledon 2022 has sparked a series of critical posts from tennis players who have been open about publicly describing their dissatisfaction with the white dress rule:

“I had to miss my period before Wimbledon because I didn’t want to worry about it, since we have enough other stresses as it is. Imagine that you are a swimmer or a ballerina. Sometimes it just sucks to be a girl, admitted Australian Daria Saville-Gavrilova.

Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Naturally, not all girls are ready to harm their health even for the sake of such a high-status competition. Former Puerto Rican tennis player Monica Puig took to social media in May about the psychological stress of having to wear all white at Wimbledon – and praying she didn’t get her period during those two weeks.

What’s more, at the July tournament, a group of protesters wore red shorts under white skirts, holding signboards symbolizing protest against existing restrictions.

New rules

It is surprising why only now the organizers are seriously thinking about the changes, because this rule was officially introduced back in the 40s of the XX century. Historically, going to the court in white is a privilege of the English nobility, but those days are long gone, but the rules remain. Since 2014, instead of simplifying the rules, Wimbledon decided to take the path of even tougher rules, passing 10 points, according to which even shades of white and cream were forbidden to be worn on the courts.

True, this did not stop some tennis players. For example, Nick Kyrgios in the final of last year’s Wimbledon put on a red baseball cap, despite the requirements of the regulations. Moreover, he did not take off his headdress during congratulations from the royal family.

Photo: © Shi Tang / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

The act of the Australian once again showed the organizers that their code of laws is outdated, and it’s time to change something. Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, said it will be much easier for the girls from the next tournament:

– Women and girls participating in the championship will have the opportunity to wear colored undershorts. We hope this rule adjustment will help players focus solely on their game by removing a potential source of anxiety,” she said.

An asterisk has now been added to the regulations allowing female players to wear solid colored underpants provided they are no longer than shorts or a skirt. After these changes, the English Grand Slam tournament finally became on a par with other top competitions on the tour.