Strawberries and cream, fresh-cut grass, and world-renowned celebrities are just a few of the scenes you’d expect to see at the world-famous Wimbledon tennis tournament. Everyone knows that Wimbledon has a very rich history, as it first started in 1877 and is the oldest global tennis tournament to date. But have you ever wondered why the players participating in it are forced to wear white head to toe? Let’s talk about why.
Gertrude Moran playing at Wimbledon in 1949
The all-white rule was first put in place to mitigate the visibility of sweat stains on player’s clothing, which was considered unprofessional. Sweat stains can be more prominently seen on colored garments, so tournament officials turned to white clothing and it has been not only a tradition but a rule since its inception. The rule is also stricter than you might think; the shade of white needs to match the exact shade set by the tournament. Color is very minimally allowed on the trimming of the neckline and the cuff of sleeves for tops as well as the trimming of the outside seam of shorts and skirts, however, the colored trimming cannot exceed 1 cm (0.39 in). The rule for caps, headbands, and bandanas follows that of the tops and bottoms while shoes must essentially be all white.
Most players have abided by the all-white rule without rebelling throughout the lengthy history of the tournament. However, there have been a few interesting incidents regarding some prominent figures. Between the years of 1988 and 1990, world-renowned tennis icon Andre Agassi refused to play at Wimbledon due to their strict color code requirements. He was known for his flashy personal style and the tournament rules forced him to conform to traditionalism which was the opposite of his personal brand.
Andre Agassi sporting his signature style
While he refused to participate in the tournament for three consecutive years, he eventually caved in and ended up winning it in 1992. Fast forwarding to 2013, a similar yet slightly different event occurred when Roger Federer was forced to change his shoes in the next round of play after sporting a white sneaker with an orange sole in his first-round Wimbledon match. The following year, tennis star Martina Navratilova was forced to change her skirt which was striped with blue after heated exchanges with Wimbledon officials. This incident led to a rule change in 2022 which led to the allowance for colored undershorts for female players in light of protests from WTA, medical professionals, and more. This has been the only rule change in the entire history of the tournament.
Tradition is essential to the maintenance of culture but without progress and evolution, the world would constantly stay the same. What do you think about the Wimbledon all-white rule? Is it time to let players express themselves through their clothing in this historic tournament? Or should we keep the tradition going for as long as possible? I’d love to hear your thoughts, let me know in the comments below!
Works Cited
(N.d.). The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/virgil-abloh-andre-agassi-style.html.
Abdalazem, R., & Hall, A. (2023, July 3). Why do players have to wear white clothing when playing at Wimbledon?. Diario AS. https://en.as.com/other_sports/why-do-players-have-to-wear-white-clothing-when-playing-at-wimbledon-n/
Bruner, R. (2021, April 29). Wimbledon 2019 dress code: Why the players wear white. Time. https://time.com/5323876/wimbledon-dress-code/
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Why do tennis players wear white at Wimbledon?. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-tennis-players-wear-white-at-wimbledon
Ruthven, G. (2022, July 10). Why do players wear white at Wimbledon? explaining Grand Slam dress code. Sporting News. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/tennis/news/wimbledon-2022-why-players-wear-white-dress-code/ktt679cgjg79fkbqqotz3qgg
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