"Have you ever seen any sport where people wear the same outfit on each side?" - Billie Jean King on why Wimbledon needs to end all-white clothing rule

Tennis legend Billie Jean King recently spoke on Wimbledon’s all-white uniform policy and the anxiety it causes female players during menstruation.

In an interview with CNN, King said that her generation was constantly worried since they always wore white, as that was the color of the sport at the time. She stated that it causes stress during menstruation since they often have to check themselves and maintain a professional appearance in front of the public.

“My generation, we always worried because we wore all white all the time. And it’s what you wear underneath that’s important for your menstrual period,” said King.

“And we’re always checking whether we’re showing. You get tense about it because the first thing we are is entertainers and you want whatever you wear to look immaculate, look great. We’re entertainers. We’re bringing it to the people,” she added.

The 78-year-old said that Wimbledon’s all-white uniform policy is one of her pet peeves.

“Nothing is worse in sports than when you turn on the television and two players are wearing the same uniform or same outfits. It’s horrible. No one knows who’s who. This is one of my pet peeves, I’ve been yelling for years. Have you ever seen any sport where the people wear the same outfit on each side?” she stated.

Billie Jean King revealed how she, along with the WTA, fought for the inclusion of colored clothes in the 1970s and said that she hoped to see significant changes in the Wimbledon dress code soon.

“It went back to it. We fought, the Women's Tennis Association all of a spot crazy back in 70s to have some colour and some individuality, to be unique and who we are and we fought and we got it and then just recently they gone backwards to all white. I hope there's a lot of big changes again and start to go back to what we fought for in the 70s.” she said on Wimbledon's all-white dress code.

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'Blue Jacket' to honor winners of Billie Jean King Cup

The Billie Jean King Cup is a premier international team competition in women's tennis.

Billie Jean King is using clothing to honor the winners of this year's Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) tournament with a 'winner's jacket' created by renowned fashion designer Tory Burch.

Burch has designed a blue jacket for the winners of the BJKC, modeled in lines of the renowned 'Green Jacket' donned by the winner of The Masters golf tournament each year. She added that the color 'Billie Blue' was chosen because King has worn blue numerous times over her incredible career, especially during the 'Battle of the Sexes' match against Bobby Riggs.

Additionally, there is a message from King herself inside the jacket to serve as a reminder to the winners of the "fight" and their role in it.

“Congratulations on winning the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup. As a member of the first winning team at the Federation Cup in 1963, I dreamed to share this title with women like you,” is the message carved inside the jacket.

“Tory Burch shares my passion for tennis and women’s empowerment. We designed the champion’s Billie Blue Jacket to symbolize your incredible win and how far women have come in sports. Together, we can make equality a reality,” said King on Tory Burch.