Wimbledon changes white rule for menstruation comfort – 07/04/2023 – Sport

It was just the first round of Wimbledon, and Victoria Azarenka and Linda Fruhvirtova have already made history. Athletes from Belarus and the Czech Republic were the first to adhere to an important and rare rule change in the most traditional tennis tournament in the world.

As of this edition, which began on Monday (3), the strict dress code that determines that clothing is all white has been revised, and women can wear dark-colored shorts underneath the uniform. It was an old request from tennis players who were concerned about wearing light colors during their period. Azarenka and Fruhvirtova chose dark green shorts for their respective debuts.

“It was well thought out, because there are obvious situations where [jogar de branco] it can be complicated and uncomfortable,” said Azarenka, a former world number one and currently ranked 20th by the WTA, the international women’s association.

According to the organizers, the theme came up after conversations with the athletes, and the change was unanimously approved by the council of the entity that manages the championship.

“We believe this rule tweak will help players eliminate a source of anxiety and allow them to focus purely on performance,” said Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club.

The rule of wearing white goes back to the end of the 19th century. Perspiring was considered inappropriate, and light clothing would better hide sweat stains. The dress code at Wimbledon has a list of ten points that explain that even cream clothes are prohibited and colored details – for example, a line on the collar of the shirt – can be a maximum of 1 cm thick.

For decades, tennis players have warned about the anguish that white can cause. Tennis legend Billie Jean King has said in an interview that her generation had anxiety at the thought of menstruation “leaking” through clothing.

Coco Gauff said competing at Wimbledon on her period last year was stressful and that the move was a relief. Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Monica Puig has already spoken about the “mental stress of playing in white at Wimbledon, praying not to have my period during the two weeks of competition”.

Journalist Molly McElwee, who covers women’s sports for the British newspaper The Telegraph, approved of the organizers’ decision and said she believed it was possible to balance tradition and comfort.

“Everyone likes the Wimbledon tradition, but sometimes changes can be good. It is essential that players feel more comfortable on court. They will be able to play at a higher level if they are not anxious because of their menstrual period”, he told the magazine. Sheet.

As the new rule determines that the piece of dark clothing is shorter than the shorts or skirt of the white uniform, it is only noticeable in specific situations, for example, at the time of service.

“In the case of Azarenka, I only noticed after a few games. So, even if it seems like a very big change, and there’s been a lot of talk about her, in reality, visually, I don’t think anything [de tradição] has been lost,” said McElwee.

The debate already occurs in other sports. This year, the shorts of the England women’s national football team changed from white to blue, also at the request of the players.

But some tennis players still hesitate. Tunisian Ons Jabeur, a Wimbledon finalist last year, said she will only adopt dark shorts if other competitors wear them, otherwise “everybody will know you’re menstruating.” Still, she said, “It’s great that Wimbledon is trying to help women feel more comfortable on the court.”

On the first day of the tournament, the minority adhered, with the report counting two players with dark shorts among the 60 who were on the court.

“I think it doesn’t just have to be used during menstruation, because other players have spoken about how white shorts are see-through, less comfortable. I think any woman who has had to wear white shorts knows how a dark color can just be more comfortable.” , said McElwee.

“The hope is that, over time, use will become natural. It was something that became the focus this year, everyone is watching. I, for example, am counting how many are using it. But I think that in the coming years it will not be a important factor, and the hope is that the athletes can quietly go about their lives,” he added.

On the second day of the tournament, this Tuesday (4), the North American Shelby Rogers and the defending champion, Elena Rybakina, from Kazakhstan, wore dark shorts under the white skirts when facing each other in the center court.

Briton David Turner, who has been to Wimbledon several times and was among the spectators, defended the new regulations: “Traditions sometimes need to be broken, and rules changed, because that is the sign of a progressive society – the fact that if you can move forward, because society needs to progress”.

The Wimbledon tennis tournament runs until the 16th of July. Brazilians Beatriz Haddad Maia, 13th in the world ranking, and Thiago Monteiro, 95th in the world, would debut this Tuesday against Kazakh Yulia Putintseva and North American Christopher Eubanks, respectively, but the matches were postponed because of rain.