The Wimbledon Whites

Wimbledon has always been the most hallowed of them all. It is one tournament which a kid dreams of participating in one day, when he picks up his racket for the very first time. A major reason for that is that Wimbledon has always stuck to its traditions. Yes, traditions, not stipulations. This may be a word that is thrown around lightly these days, but the All England Club has firmly stuck to its heritage. Other Grand Slams have undergone changes as massive as the changing of their playing surface, but this is a tournament which still considers it impolite to refer to them as Men; it is always Gentlemen. And Ladies, not Women. The Royals are still the ones to award the respective winners. The grass is still the surface of play,138 years after it was first conceived. In this ever changing world, timelessness has a magical essence of its own. These sacred lawns believe in the stillness of time. Along with this, comes a tradition which isn?t held in the highest aura, at least not by its practitioners.

The all white dress code has existed since times immemorial. It has undergone minor tweaks and changes, but the gist of it still prevails. You can?t be dressed in colourful apparel if you have to play here.

Following is a list of the exact code of conduct regarding the dress, according to the Wimbledon website :

1) Competitors must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white and this applies from the point at which the player enters the court surround.

2) White does not include off white or cream.

3) There should be no solid mass or panel of colouring. A single trim of colour around the neckline and around the cuff of the sleeve is acceptable but must not be wider than one centimetre (10mm).

4) Colour contained within patterns will be measured as if it is a solid mass of colour and should be within the one centimetre (10mm) guide. Logos formed by variations of material or patterns are not acceptable.

5) The back of a shirt, dress, tracksuit top or sweater must be totally white.

6) Shorts, skirts and tracksuit bottoms must be totally white except for a single trim of colour down the outside seam no wider than one centimetre (10mm).

7) Caps, headbands, bandanas, wristbands and socks must be totally white except for a single trim of colour, again no wider than one centimetre (10mm).

8) Shoes must be almost entirely white, including the soles. Large manufacturers? logos are not encouraged. The grass court shoes must adhere to the Grand Slam rules. In particular shoes with pimples around the outside of the toes shall not be permitted. The foxing around the toes must be smooth.

9) Any 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 colour no wider than one centimetre (10mm). In addition, common standards of decency are required at all times.

10) Medical supports and equipment should be white if possible but may be coloured if absolutely necessary. A more relaxed dress code operates at the Aorangi Park practice courts.

Many players, past and present have called out SW19 over this, saying that the rules are ridiculously strict and they are taking it a bit too far. Also,surprisingly,these rules have moved from being a little lenient to being strict over the years. A ruling first came over in 1963 which stated that players are required to be ?predominantly in white?. This was in place till 1995 when it was changed to ?almost entirely white?. That was,until the 10 point ruling which was put in place last year to oversee even stricter implementation of the code and make sure that players don?t end up finding loopholes in it.

7 time champion Roger Federer, pointed this out when he talked about his colourful dress at this year?s French Open.?Obviously that is going to change when Wimbledon comes around because rules have become ridiculously strict there. I love Wimbledon but they have gone too far now?. Former champion Pat Cash took a far more condoning view of it when he labeled the rules as ?ridiculous?. Calling out the absurdity of the code, he claimed that women were being forced to play bra-less. Cash said they were sent back to change their bras and tops because they had slight colour on them?. Thus, some of them were without suitable sports bras and had to play without them. Chris Evert recounted a bizarre anecdote when she says,?I had all white ons, with white bloomers but they had red ruffles. They weren?t noticeable at all because our dresses were longer. But the guy, he lifted up my skirt and looked at the red and told me to go back to the changing room and change them?. Martina Navratrilova was surprised when the dress which had been acceptable all the years she had been a player, was suddenly deemed unsuitable when she was asked to play an Invitational match.

But, the Wimbledon committee found a supporter in Venus Williams. The American has no problem with the rules, as she explained,?I think it is a nice change, I think everyone kind of glows in white?. Tradition though it is, but the Committee might find a rethinking of the implementation of the rules a necessity, sooner rather than later.