What happens when a player breaks the rules?
When players violate the strict dress code that has to be followed at the All England Club during the Wimbledon, they receive a complaint outfit. Players are asked to change their clothes and come back in clothing that abides by the rules of the games and is appropriate to wear on the court. Being white in colour, replacement clothing is always available for the players who make a quick change if they aren’t wearing white, much to their dismay.
Are there rules for accessories and tattoos too?
Quite surprisingly, the rules are quite lenient when it comes to accessories worn by players, so it the players have tattoos on their bodies. Visible tattoos are allowed on the court, as we have seen many tattooed players playing at Wimbledon over the years. The rules may apply to the clothing, but they do not apply to accessories like hair extension. During the late 1990s a young Venus Williams was seen playing with green and purple hair beads, which attracted quite a bit of attraction, but did not have any disapproval from the Wimbledon officials.
Have players ever broken the dress code rules?
There have been several instances when players were asked to have a change in their clothing, because of not following the dress code and meeting with the standards of Wimbledon. In 2013, Roger Federer was given a warning and was told to change his shoes for the next match, after he was seen playing in white shoes with orange soles. Federer later said in an interview that the rules of the tournament are too strict. In 2002, Anna Kournikova was forced to replace her black shorts with a pair of white ones borrowed from her coach.
Andre Agassi refused to play at Wimbledon in the earlier years of his career, as he was not permitted to play in his signature garnish tops and denim shorts. In 2014, Martina Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon champion was asked to change her skirt as it had blue stripes on it. Maria Sharapova, who had defeated Serena Williams at the age of 17 in 2004 was warned by officials as she was wearing bright orange hot pants.
Will there be a change in the dress code?
The other three Grand Slams do not have such strict dress codes, and players find it quite difficult to adapt to the rules of Wimbledon and wear all whites for their matches. There have been certain changes in the other rules of Wimbledon though, like in 2003 a long-standing tradition of players requiring to bow to the Royal Box on the Centre Court was discontinued by the Duke of Kent. In 2006, the prize money of the winners for both the men’s and women’s categories was doubled. If changes will be brought to the dress code as well only time can tell.
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