Wimbledon relaxes all-white clothing rules for women players
LONDON — The women’s tennis authorities have moved to ease restrictions on all players wearing white clothing to make it more like the men’s team and easier for fans to identify their opponents.
Earlier this year Wimbledon organizers agreed to relax their rules against white clothing and let the ladies wear a lighter shade and without any patterns to further distance them from male stars and away from the red or black clothing that is traditional to the men’s team, officials said Tuesday.
The move is a blow for fans who have complained for years about players wearing bright red or black shirts — a sign of strength and success for the men’s side.
“It has always been the men’s team and what it stands for that has been the key focus for many years, and I think people can now see those principles being applied to the women’s team and that has also been very important,” said Andy Mitten, the chief executive of the tournament that has staged the last four Wimbledon championships.
Wimbledon said that the decision to allow the ladies to wear light-colored tops was taken after discussions with players.
“It’s fair to say that the men’s team are wearing red and black. That doesn’t mean the women’s team have to wear red and black. We feel that our fans would appreciate that in a way that women’s tennis matches and tournaments do. So that’s what we decided to do,” tournament chief executive Peter Biles told reporters Monday.
He said the two sides had “mutually agreed” to do something similar for the men.
Biles said: “I’m pleased to say that we’re all agreed.” He said they wanted “a uniform look for the women’s team” and that “the red and black is an iconic British color and a great symbol of power for the men’s team.”
That was music to the ears of a fan group for red and black tennis gear, the Tennis Fans Against Racism, which had been pressing for the ban on such gear to be lifted for the women.
“I am proud to have been a part of the fight for women’s tennis to be represented by all-white clothing and for the last three years, I have been the driving force behind the ban on red and black tennis clothes,” said Mary Keough, a member of the group that has now helped remove