There is a rebellion going on at the All England Club.
Players, particularly the ladies, are furious over the crackdown over non-white clothing at Wimbledon. The uptight tennis folks in England have always insisted on whites, but have amped up the pressure this year by forcing players to wear white undergarments.
“Some of the girls have been told to go back and change their bras and tops because they had slight color on them,” former Wimbledon champ Pat Cash said, according to The Daily Mail.
“I believe some of the girls didn’t have suitable sports bras and had to go without them. It has absolutely gone ridiculous.”
Organizers were fearful that sponsors were taking liberties with the clothing, and have even banned off-white and cream-colored clothing.
The Mail reported Britain’s Naomi Broady went without a bra for her second-round loss to Caroline Wozniacki, though it’s unclear if the dress code was behind the decision.
Venus Williams, who was ousted in the third round on Friday by Petra Kvitova, threatened action when she tweeted out leopard-skinned bras and underwear.
“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,” tournament referee Andrew Jarrett said in a letter to players.
Cash said the frustration has been felt on the men’s side, too.
“One of the players was called into the referees’ office because he had blue underwear that showed through when he got sweaty, so he was told not to wear dark underwear,” Cash said.
