‘Ridiculous’ Wimbledon rule pressured feminine stars to ditch bras on earlier than change
Wimbledon stars were once forced to take off their bras due to the tournament’s strict dress code.
The iconic tennis Grand Slam has required its competitors – both male and female- to play in all-white outfits throughout its long history. That is until last year, when women were finally allowed to wear dark coloured undershorts for the first time.
SW19’s old-fashioned dress code never came under as much scrutiny than in 2014, when women were told to ditch their bras completely for breaking the colour code. The bizarre all-white ruling affected a number of players, including British star Naomi Broady, who appeared without a bra on during her second-round match against Caroline Wozniacki.
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“Some of the girls have been told to go back and change their bras and tops because they had slight colour on them,” BBC pundit and 1987 Wimbledon winner Pat Cash told BBC Radio 5 Live at the time.
“I believe some of the girls didn’t have suitable sports bras and had to go without them. It has absolutely gone ridiculous.”
Earlier that week, Venus Williams had led a rebellion by threatening to wear animal print beneath her tennis whites.
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During the same tournament, Williams also claimed she approved of the dress code, saying: “It’s a nice change. Everyone just kind of glows in white. Obviously not all year, because anything every day is boring. But during these two weeks, it’s nice.”
Nine years later, Daria Kasatkina was among the players to express delight at the alteration to the traditional dress code – which has taken any ‘additional stress’ away. Black or “solid, mid/dark-coloured” underwear is now allowed, provided it is shorter than the players’ white skirts and therefore not visible.
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The rule change came after protesters showed up at the women’s finals two summers ago demanding a change to the dress code, sparking conversations about female players’ anxiety during menstruation.
