As for the courts, it’s a whole different story, which does not fail to cause a stir. Since 1963, players have had to follow strict rules, the best known being obviously that of playing entirely dressed in white. The regulations have not softened over the years, on the contrary; in 2014, the tournament took another turn of the screw by issuing ten commandments, which prohibit off-white or cream, and only allow a single colored border not exceeding one centimeter on the neckline, sleeves, the headband, and the few accessories inherent in playing tennis. The Wimbledon authorities are on the lookout: in 2013, the Swiss Roger Federer, however seven-time winner of the tournament, had been asked to change shoes, with a sole … orange. Same story the following year for the former Australian champion Pat Cash, forced to withdraw from the veterans tournament after sporting illegal sneakers, which did not fail to provoke the player’s fury.
For some, this strict dress code is the guarantor of the traditions of British high society, who practiced many summer sports dressed in white, in order to stay chic (we see less sweat stains on white than on colored clothing) . For others, it is “austere”, “ridiculous” and above all sexist, since it goes so far as to impose the choice of underwear on tennis players, who are also asked to wear white until their clothes are worn. below. This is what Pat Cash denounced in an article in Guardian, explaining that some players “did not have a sports bra [répondant aux règles de Wimbledon] and had to do without it to play. “
If equipment manufacturers and players now mostly comply with the stylistic rules of Wimbledon, some sportsmen have yet shaken the turf of the tournament, regardless of what will be said. In 1949, the Californian Gertrude Moran thus shocked the spectators by sporting a light skirt which revealed white boxer shorts and above all, a lot of skin for the time. In 2008, the Nike tank top-shorts set by Maria Sharapova, which took up the codes of the tuxedo in an immaculate sporty version, in turn caused a lot of ink to flow. Even men are not immune to scandals, likeAndre Agassi and its unmistakable look in the 80s and 90s; of the corsair Rafael Nadal sported by the player during his first competition at Wimbledon in 2005; or the white and gold bag of Roger Federer (again him) in 2009, which had almost made the good English society fail. Despite these few stylistic slippages, Wimbledon continues today to impose its laws, whether they make sense or not.
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