Wimbledon all-white dress code gets stricter in 2014

One of Wimbledon tennis tournament’s most storied traditions is the all-white dress code, which has been in effect at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club since 1877, even before the championships began.

Previously, some female players have tried to skirt the rule by donning a splash of color underneath their all-white outfits, like Serena Williams did in 2013.

So the officials introduced a stricter edict in 2014 that said: “Undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white and contain no more than 1cm of coloured trim.”

Former Wimbledon winner Pat Cash, who was forced to withdraw from the Wimbledon Majors tournament after his tennis shoes failed to pass dress code muster, called this rule “archaic.”

However, according to The Irish Examiner, Caroline Wozniacki didn’t see any uproar in the locker rooms over the newly-amended rule.

“I guess white is white and everyone wears white. It’s the same for everyone,” she said.

“I don’t think anyone is like showing off their underwear like that and getting it checked. That would be pretty creepy.” 

“If we are playing in white, we should wear white underwear. But it’s kind of weird officials coming and checking. I think it’s strange,” Czech player Barbora Zahlavova Strycova reportedly said after her match against Li Na on Friday.

Third-seed Simona Halep didn’t mind the all-white rule at all.

“I think it’s special to play here. They have the special rules because you have to be in white. I think it’s not really difficult to get white clothes,” the Irish Examiner reported Simona Halep as saying.

“So I like this tradition. It’s really nice to see everybody in white clothes.”

Venus Williams had said that she would wear a splash of color under her Wimbledon whites in her Twitter feed: “RT @EleVenbyVenus: I may be in Wimbledon whites, but an EleVen #fashion show of color is underneath. #tiedye #python.”

After her win on Wednesday, Venus Williams told the Irish Independent: “I think it’s a nice change. I think 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.”