Wimbledon chiefs to relax white underwear rule to allow female stars to compete in colourful shorts
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Advantage women! Wimbledon chiefs will relax white underwear rule to allow female stars to compete in colorful shorts
- The All England Club is going to change its all-white rule for the next Championship
- The change is intended to accommodate female competitors who have problems with menstruation
- Andy Murray’s mom Judy said Wimbledon should be aligned with other sports
Wimbledon is set to relax the ban on female players wearing colored underwear after coming under pressure to align with other sports.
The All England Club is likely to announce that for next summer’s Championships, its unique all-white rule will be amended to reflect the issues female competitors may face with their periods.
According to sources at SW19, players will still be required to wear white clothing on top, but that requirement will no longer apply when it comes to underpants or underpants.
US Open star Emma Raducanu could sprint across the field in colorful shorts next time she plays Wimbledon
Last week, Andy Murray’s mother, Judy, said she thought it was about time Wimbledon shifted its focus to other sports in making the dress code more female-friendly.
“One of the biggest problems in sport was that in many different sports it was always white shorts, white kits and so on,” she said in an interview with the Mail.
‘Almost all sports have now switched to color. If you’re dressed all in white and then potentially have a leak while you’re playing, I can’t think of a more traumatic experience than that.
“If all the matches are now televised and streamed, that’s something to think about. It’s very important that we have a lot of women on the decision-making panel because they understand what it’s like to have menstrual cycles and they understand the fear of that happening while playing.”
Wimbledon women’s singles champion Charlotte Sterry on court in 1908
Australian tennis star Kerry Melville during a match at Wimbledon in 1971
Wimbledon said: “Prioritizing women’s health and supporting players based on their individual needs is very important to us and we are in talks with the Women’s Tennis Association, manufacturers and the medical teams about ways where we can do that.’
The Mail understands that those talks have moved quickly and that it will soon be confirmed that a new rule will apply for 2023.
Players have long been frustrated by the color restrictions on underwear. Prior to this summer’s women’s singles final, a small protest was held outside the gates by Address The Dress Code, anti-rule activists.
The news of the rule change came as Britain prepared for Kazakhstan today in Glasgow in their first match of the Billie Jean King Cup final – the self-proclaimed Women’s Tennis World Cup – without Emma Raducanu. The national number 1 is recovering from an injured wrist.
Judy Murray called for Wimbledon to be more aligned with other sports in making the dress code more female-friendly