Wimbledon’s all-white dress code will see some changes in 2023 and beyond.
While players have long worn all white at the famed English tournament, some of the women’s players raised concerns this year with the dress code.
Olympic champion Monica Puig spoke out on the stress of the all-white requirement for players competing during their periods, and Australian tennis player Daria Gavrilova revealed to The Daily Aus that she had to skip her period around the tournament.
“Recently just being at Wimbledon, I was talking with my friends saying that I love the all-white look. But then a few girls said they hate it because it sucks to wear all white while being on your period,” she said.
“It’s true, I myself had to skip my period around Wimbledon, for the reason that I didn’t want to worry about bleeding through, as we already have enough other stress.”
While the traditional all-white garment rule will not change, current guidelines outline that 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 color no wider than one centimeter.”
That rule is set to be removed for female players, who will be allowed to wear colored undergarments – including underwear sports bras. The all-white rule will be limited to the top layer of clothing.
“Prioritizing women’s health and supporting players based on their individual needs is very important to us, and we are in discussions with the WTA, with manufacturers and with the medical teams about the ways in which we can do that,” The All England Club said in a statement Tuesday.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King called the all-white dress code “horrible” in an interview this week with CNN, echoing the sentiments Puig and Gavrilova shared about the stress of white undergarments for players on their periods.
“We’re always checking whether we’re showing. You get tense about it because the first thing we are is entertainers and you want whatever you wear to look immaculate, look great,” King told CNN. “We’re entertainers. We’re bringing it to the people.”