Tennis legend Billie Jean King has taken goal at Wimbledon over the All England Membership’s archaic costume code guidelines, labelling them one in all her greatest “pet peeves”.
Wimbledon’s controversial all-white guidelines are set to be modified after a number of stars flaunted the directives at this yr’s Grand Slam.
Now the strict costume code is about to be reconsidered and altered to be extra thoughtful for feminine gamers.
Below the present tips the room for motion is minimal, with it stating: “undergarments that both are or may be seen throughout play (together with as a consequence of perspiration) should even be fully white aside from a single trim of color no wider than one centimetre”.
Feminine tennis stars spoke out this yr over the necessity for change to the costume code with many skipping menstruating over fears of leaking and marking their white clothes.
Watch Tennis Stay with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Stay Protection of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments together with Each Finals Match. New to Kayo? Begin your free trial now >
Now the American tennis icon has lashed the strict costume code, saying the problems had been prevalent in her taking part in days.
“My era, we all the time fearful as a result of we wore all white on a regular basis,” she advised CNN. “And it’s what you put on beneath that’s essential on your menstrual interval.
“And we’re all the time checking whether or not we’re displaying. You get tense about it as a result of the very first thing we’re is entertainers and also you need no matter you put on to look immaculate, look nice. We’re entertainers. We’re bringing it to the individuals.”
King’s contempt for the all-white costume code additionally centered across the optics of each gamers being in an identical outfits.
“Nothing is worse in sports activities than once you activate the tv and two gamers are carrying the identical uniform or similar outfits. It’s horrible,” she stated.
“Nobody is aware of who’s who. That is one in all my pet peeves, I’ve been yelling for years. Have you ever ever seen any sport the place the individuals put on the identical outfit on either side?”
The change to the strict costume code will come into impact from 2023 and onwards and also will impression the bras feminine gamers can put on.
That concern was thrust again into the highlight after Mihaela Buzarnescu was compelled to alter her bra previous to her spherical 1 match in 2022 because it was deemed to not adjust to the foundations.
In a press release, The All England Membership said they had been in discussions over methods to assist help the gamers.
“Prioritising girls’s well being and supporting gamers primarily based on their particular person wants is essential to us, and we’re in discussions with the WTA, with producers and with the medical groups concerning the methods by which we will try this,” the assertion learn.
