‘Think It’s So Clever’- Billie Jean King Lashes Out At Tennis’ Most Prestigious Tournament As She Speaks Up On Fashion

American tennis legend Billie Jean King is yet again making headlines for a bold remark. Focused on fashion, King feels clothes allow female tennis players to express their individuality through colors and prints. She has been vocal in the past about the color white being ubiquitous as the sport’s color.

Although fans get to see players wearing colorful dresses at tennis tournaments nowadays, Wimbledon still follows this all-white dress code. It was first implemented to camouflage sweat stains. But now it has been a debatable topic. Recently Billie Jean King lashed out at tennis’ most prestigious tournament for their unusual on-court fashion rules.

Billie Jean King wants tennis players to proudly wear their names

Although the white color in Wimbledon makes it quite unique from the other three major events, it has been criticized for curtailing the player’s individuality. Several players have spoken against having white as the dress code for women in tennis, including Billie Jean King. ‘The first question I always have is, “Well, who’s who?” I can’t stand it. I think we should have color, and I think we should have names on the back.

‘If you go to a basketball game, a baseball game, the name of the player is on the back of their jersey. You see it in every sport but ours, and that just drives me insane,‘ Billie Jean King said.

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She further went on to ask the same of baseball players, because fans cannot possibly imagine them without their numbers and names on jerseys, except perhaps Yankees fans. And identity is not the only problem for those identifying as women.

Daria Gavrilova had to skip the tournament because of her period

Australian tennis player Daria Gavrilova, echoing former Puerto Rican Monica Puig, had once stated, “A few girls said they hate it because it sucks to wear all white while being on your period. It’s true, I myself had to skip my period around Wimbledon, for the reason that I didn’t want to worry about bleeding through, as we already have enough other stress.”

Even Billie Jean King spoke about this once to CNN, how women often have to check themselves and maintain a professional appearance in front of a crowd.

What’s your take on the all-white dress at women’s tennis events?

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