Why is Wimbledon played in white?

Lthe colors of Wimbledonthose who appear in his heraldry and imagery, are the dark green and purple. A strange combination that is somewhat reminiscent of the ‘after eighth’, the English mint chocolates that are also, why fool us, a strange combination of flavors but that, after the first moment of surprise and caution, is not unpleasant. It is also somewhat reminiscent of tennis itself: a sport of strange regulation and strange punctuation. Perhaps one should delve into British sociology a bit, but it is too broad a subject.

Let’s just point out that there is a third color added added to Wimbledon. and this is the white . This color is not only in the lines that mark the slopes, but it is, above all, in the outfit of the tennis players Tennis players are required by regulation wear white or, modernly, “predominantly white” but why?

The reason is, as in so many aspects related to Wimbledon, the tradition. Wimbledon has sometimes been referred to as a tournament ancient, anchored in their traditions. But it is not so much like that: Wimbledon is The Cathedral of Tennis and has maintained its supremacy, symbolic and real, over the rest of the tournaments, for almost century and a half and that is not achieved by being a fundamentalist. It is achieved – at least Wimbledon has achieved it – keeping these traditions very much in mind but making them evolve. not rarely money through: when color television came to Wimbledon, for example, contracts had to be renegotiated for the tournament to change the white balls for yellow, with better television contrast.

Sometimes these are spoken of with a certain sarcasm traditions Wimbledon but the fact is that when the time came pandemiconly one tournament in the world had a sure for this contingency: Wimbledon. La Cateldra is also a management model.

Thus, the Wimbledon tradition in terms of clothing is that it be white, although the details are negotiable. That this tradition is maintained is what gives importance to its variations: normally brands tend to launch ‘special’ lines for Wimbledon, that they gain value precisely because they are ‘the ones at Wimbledon’, and everything that happens within the confines of the AELTC has more importance than what happens in any other tournament.

Tennis, and not skiing, was originally the ‘white sport’ and it was because of the clothing of those who participated in it. Not only the players: also the public a dress protocol was required of him, and not only at Wimbledon but at any of the aristocratic tracks that, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, formed the embryo of the first circuit (Deauville, Biarritz, Monaco, Forest Hills, Newport…). added a touch of color in jackets or hats, but which had to disappear at the moment the ball was put into play, also with protocol in between: the custom was for the server to say “Ready?” (Ready?) and the receiver will authorize: “Play” (play). The volley was frowned upon.

they did not play ‘men’ and ‘women’ (men and women) but ‘ladies’ and ‘gentlemen’ (ladies and gentlemen). Wimbledon is one of the few tournaments that maintains that name in its tables and, beware, registration was free, but ‘within an order’: Wimbledon applicants had to “maintain impeccable conduct and reside in good addresses“, specified the Wimbledon regulations reflecting British classism, which extended to cheating ‘amateurism’. Even in 1939 the registration of the baron was denied von cramm for being “ex-prisoner”. He actually had been imprisoned in Nazi Germany for homosexuality.

In the early years of Wimbledon, the players’ clothing was ua variant of the ‘daily‘ -that’s where the concept of ‘sportswear’ comes from-, especially in the case female. The ladies wore long, tight-fitting, long-sleeved, corseted gowns. The gentlemen were in shirt sleeves, but with a tie, belt… Why white? It is a common opinion that, in addition to being a ‘simple’ color, sweat was less noticeable on it.

It was not until after World War I that a slow evolution always viewed with suspicion began to accelerate. The ladies, led by the French Suzanne Lenglen, they freed themselves from the corset, shortened their sleeves and reduced the size of the skirts to a few centimeters below the knee. The men changed their pants, still long, for others made of flannel and although the shirts kept the collar, they shortened the sleeves and the buttoning. Another Frenchman, René lacoste, made a fortune with that design. Designers like JJean Patou, Coco Chanel or Ted Tingling they began to create specific designs for tennis.

And finally. with more or less reluctance -always more with women than with men- evolution accelerated. In 1930 Brame hillyard He was the first man to play with shorts at Wimbledon. In 1933, Bunny Austin He gave nature to innovation by playing with them in the sacrosanct Central. But the revolution came in 1949. In the 1930s, players had already seen women with pants short at Wimbledon, but in 1949 the American Gussy Moran appeared with skirt above the knee and lace underwear. There were even parliamentary debates in which she and fashion designer Ted Tingling were accused of leading Wimbledon and tennis “vulgarity and sin”. But note that she was allowed to appear and play. Even in the 21st century, tennis players have been made to go to change to the locker room because it was considered that his clothing -including footwear- did not respond to the regulations. To Roger Federer between them, although usually having a better known name gives you a certain Wide sleeve.

So the answer is both simple and not so simple. It is traditionally played in white, and designers and tennis players look for all kinds of turns to stand out and, thus, give ‘commercial’ value to innovations. In 1992 the iconoclastic André Agassiwho had ‘scandalized’ tennis in the 80s with his long hair ‘electrical‘, painted nails, multicolored clothing and short jeans (actually they weren’t, although the fabric imitated that look) she was going to play for the first time at Wimbledon and everyone was holding their breath waiting for how she would manage to give the note: did playing dazzling white, from the tip of the shoes to the tip of the cap. The public applauded and everyone came out winning: André, Wimbledon and Nike, the brand that dressed him. Wimbledon is Wimbledon just like, as Vujadin Boskov said, football is football.