At this point, you're probably used to seeing all-white outfits during Wimbledon, the long-running Grand Slam event held annually at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. But you might not know the origins of the monochrome look—or the severity with which the rule is enforced.
As to the latter, players are required to wear tennis attire that is "almost entirely white"—not off white or cream—as well as "almost entirely white shoes," including soles and laces, per the Wimbledon website. A single trim of color is allowed around a shirt neckline or around the cuff of the sleeves, but it can be no wider than one centimeter; the same goes for bottoms, which can have a similarly-sized colored strip along the outside seam.
Headbands, bandanas, wristbands, and baseball caps must also be white, as should "medical supports and equipment," if possible. Undergarments are subject to the same rules as tops and bottoms, save for female players' "solid, mid/dark-colored undershorts," which are allowed, provided they are not longer than the player's shorts or skirt (this was a recent change).
Ahead of this year's event, which runs from Monday, June 30, to Sunday, July 13, it's worth taking a look back at the surprising—and almost funny—history behind the uniform.
The Fascinating Story Behind the Wimbledon Dress Code
The impetus of the dress code can be traced back to one very relatable and ever-present problem: sweat stains.
While us modern folk have things like antiperspirant to help with underarm marks and more, such an invention did not exist in 1877 Victorian England, when and where the tournament began. At the time, though, sweat stains were considered improper and uncouth. So what was a clammy tennis pro to do?
Enter: the dress code. Rather than allowing colorful outfits that highlighted sweat marks, Wimbledon required players to wear "predominantly white" outfits that better hid such unsightly stains. And although we are now over a century removed from the rule's origin, the tournament has never changed it.
These days, the Wimbledon look is synonymous with the game. Indeed, fancy clubs and courts will often require players to don what are known as "tennis whites," similarly monochromatic kits that echo the style at All England Lawn.
Wimbledon 2025 Schedule
The 2025 iteration of Wimbledon will begin in earnest on Monday, June 30, and run until Sunday, July 13.
The round-by-round schedule is as follows:
The tournament will air on ESPN, ESPN+, ABC and The Tennis Channel in the U.S.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wimbledon's Notoriously Strict Dress Code for Players Has Fascinating Origin.
