Ons Jabeur questions Wimbledon's relaxation of all-white attire rule for women, highlights challenges faced by female players

Ons Jabeur believes that Wimbledon's recent relaxation of the 'all-whites rule' for female players is still not the defining solution to the problem it aims to solve. The organizers of the iconic Grand Slam tournament held in London recently tweaked their age-old rule, allowing female players to wear colored undershorts beneath their skirts or shorts.

The rules have been relaxed with the good intentions of reducing a major source of anxiety for female players who are menstrauting, with respect to whether blood is visible on white-colored clothing. Over the years, many players have spoken about the added stress caused during their periods, mainly because Wimbledon forced them to wear an all-white outfit.

However, Jabeur feels the change in rules will not help to the extent it is expected to, suggesting that players will still feel a sense of anxiety as "everybody would know" if they wore colored undershorts.

"You feel it at Wimbledon specifically because you’re playing in all whites," Ons Jabeur told The Guardian. "That doesn’t help. They now allow you to wear black [underwear] but if you do that then everybody would know."

While anxiety is one of the challenges, Jabeur stressed that most players also experience serious discomfort in the form of pain in other parts of their body when they have to play matches while menstruating. Speaking about her own experience, the World No. 2 shed some light on those challenges.

"Some women get more pain, even in their back, and I cannot tell you how many times I played with the first day of my period and how I was suffering and crying of pain. I have lost matches because of it," Jabeur explained.

"I like to show people who I am and I’m not afraid of showing my emotions" - Ons Jabeur on featuring in the new Netflix series about tennis

Ons Jabeur in action at the 2023 Adelaide International 1.

Ons Jabeur also shared her views on featuring in the highly talked about new Netflix series Break Point, which gives fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of professional tennis. Jabeur said that she really liked the part of the show in which she was featured, further stating that she prefers to express her purest emotions and tell people more about her true self.

Furthermore, she feels the show itself is a step in the right direction as it will reveal how the lives of tennis players are in reality.

"I’ve seen the fourth episode when I appear and it was really great. I like to show people who I am and I’m not afraid of showing my emotions," Jabeur said on the same.

"It’s part of who I am and the most important thing is that it will show people how tennis players are really living."

Seeded second at the 2023 Australian Open, which begins on Monday, the 2022 Wimbledon and US Open finalist will open her campaign against world No. 98 Tamara Zidansek on Tuesday. Jabeur started her season with a run to the semifinals of the Adelaide International 1.