Wimbledon‘s notoriously strict dress code once sent female tennis stars running back to the changing rooms to swap bras.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) maintained its all-white clothing policy for over a century. That was finally relaxed to allow dark-coloured undergarments last year, after complaints from players about their anxiety surrounding menstrual cycles.
But the situation was very different 10 years ago as women’s players were put into awkward situations. Tennis ace Sabine Lisicki recalled those difficulties during her appearance as a pundit on Amazon Prime’s coverage of this year’s Wimbledon.
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The German, who is currently on maternity leave, revealed: “There was a year when a lot of players were sent back because their bras weren’t completely white. Because they stuck out a little. Even though they were skin-coloured.” She claimed that Serena Williams was one of the players affected.
While Lisicki didn’t highlight the exact year in question, she featured in the 2014 edition when there was widespread uproar surrounding the same topic. Female players were shockingly told to play braless if they didn’t meet the colour code, with Britain’s Naomi Broady falling victim to the baffling measures.
Broady ended up playing her second-round match against Caroline Wozniacki without her bra, losing in straight sets. The rules stated: “Any undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre (10mm)”.
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Pat Cash was furious with the events, branding the All England Club’s decision ‘absolutely ridiculous’. The 1987 men’s Wimbledon champion told BBC Radio 5 Live a decade ago: “Some of the girls have been told to go back and change their bras and tops because they had slight colour on them.
“I believe some of the girls didn’t have suitable sports bras and had to go without them. It has absolutely gone ridiculous.”
A year later, Venus Williams rebelled against the stringent rules by donning animal print beneath her white kit. She eventually conceded and admitted the white makes for a “nice change” compared to the rest of the calendar.
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However, the American legend changed her stance again in 2017 when she daringly wore a pink bra during a first-round victory over Elise Mertens. The vibrant bra straps, which were clearly visible, landed Venus in hot water.
After a brief rain delay, she emerged from the locker room sporting a different bra and top. A visibly annoyed Williams responded to questions afterwards by saying: “Yeah, so I don’t want to talk about undergarments. It’s kind of awkward for me. I’ll leave that to you. You can talk about it with your friends. I’m going to pass.”
The regulation has also impacted male players over the years, with Roger Federer being forced to abandon his orange-soled Nike shoes in 2013. Novak Djokovic is currently allowed to wear a grey strap on his knee at Wimbledon following surgery, admitting: “We’re trying to find a white one, trust me. I like to go all white and respect the rules.”