Pristine, crisp and all-white — tennis whites have been a tradition dating back centuries. The distinctive look has not only made the racquet sport stand out, it has also become a sartorial mainstay off the courts, too. And even though most of the major tournaments have done away with the hueless uniformity, Wimbledon, the very first of them, has remained strict in its policy (as have many private clubs around the world).
The prestigious championship even clamped down on the rule a decade ago, prohibiting colorful accents that had become increasingly common — the year after Roger Federer’s now-infamous pair of orange-soled sneakers were banned after his first round in 2013. Top sports headlines, all in one place The rules once called for “predominantly white” outfits, allowing some competitors to play with colour combinations, such as Serena Williams’ tribute to Wimbledon treat strawberries and cream in 2010 . But the crackdown changed the wording to “almost entirely white,” per the organizers : no off-white, no panels of colour, no varying colourways on sneakers.
The only recent loosening of rules was in 2023 , to allow women to wear dark-colored shorts on the court following criticisms that the rules weren’t accommodating for menstruation leaks. But why did tennis whites become the standard? The reasons often cited are practical ones, from heat reflection to sweat-masking. But senior curator Kevin Jones of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (F.