It was fitting given The Championships’ noble reputation that the first round “Walk Ons…” by Naomi Osaka and Taylor Fritz were hypnotizing.
Osaka debuted an all-white, kimono-like Hana Yagi ensemble on the first Monday for her walk onto the court to play Elsa Jacquemot.
“I’ve never thought of, like, the colour white being a restriction,” Osaka said. “I feel like there are so many different, like, patterns, fabrics, textures that you can use. I’ve never really even thought of it like it’s something that hinders me.”
The next day, Fritz stepped back in time referencing Roger Federer’s 2007 blazer and trouser Nike outfit, by wearing a Hugo BOSS blazer with trousers before changing into his tennis gear for his match against Dusan Lajovic.
The Championships, the oldest of the Slams, began July 9, 1877, at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Twenty-two Gentlemen paid a single guinea to participate, and Spencer Gore was the first champion.
Eight years later, the inaugural Ladies competition was held involving 13 contestants and Maud Watson defeated her older sister Lillian for the title…reflecting their position in society the competitors were charged 10 shillings, sixpence… half of the Gentlemen’s entry fee… and adhering to the societal shackles of the times their athletic ability was constrained by confining long white dresses and corsets.
“White…” is historically defining. Karin Burgess, editor of the tennis fashion website Tennis Identity, explained July 1, 2016, in an ABC News article about the tournament’s all-white dress code.
“That dates back to the late 1800s, when it was considered unseemly for women to perspire, and they didn’t want women to have big, visible sweat stains. Then the men started wearing white for the same reason, and it became the rule.”
Burgess added, “I think there are a lot of violations that we don’t know about, where the player is basically told, behind the scenes, ‘You can’t wear that’ or ‘Don’t wear that again.'”
In 1963, the All England Lawn Tennis Club stipulated that players dress “predominately in white” and in 1995 the dictate became stricter with players required “to wear almost entirely white”.
The Wimbledon Dress Code limits stripes or trims to one centimetre and the specifics are strictly enforced, as Matteo Berrettini learned when his off-white HUGO BOSS jacket for this year offended Rule 2: “White does not include off white or cream”.
Variety is the game’s “Soul…”, whether it’s playing styles or player personalities and thanks to this reality, over time, there have been “all-white rebellions…”
Suzanne Lenglen debuted at The Championships in 1919, not only winning the Ladies title but making a fashion statement. Her dress, described as “Decadent…”, was sleeveless, “low-neck”, with a pleated calf-length skirt. She completed the look with a curve-brimmed hat and silk stockings rolled to knee level… but gobsmacking… was not wearing a corset.
The outfit was designed by French revolutionary courtier Jean Patou for whom Lenglen was a muse… It was Patou who devised her customary “Lenglen Bandeau” headscarf.
During the 1930s Alice Marble and Helen Jacobs added to the style change wearing tailored shorts and polo shirt-like blouses… but they adhered to the all-white rule.
Cuthbert Collingwood Tinling, better known as Ted Tinling, is a legendary tennis fashion designer… but there was more to his bolt than being 6’7” tall… He was a Gentlemen’s Doubles competitor in the late 1920s and early ‘30s; served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the British Intelligence Corps in Algeria and Germany during in WWII; and from 1927 until 1949 was the “Player Liaison and Intermediary” (officially the “Chief of Protocol”) at The Championships.
In 1949, he was banished, stripped of his responsibility for having designed Gussy Moran’s short tennis skirt and “scandalous” lace trimmed panties.
Tingling’s suspension was “officially…” lifted in 1982… but panties made headlines again in 1958 when Karol Fageros, having worn gold lamé at Roland Garros, was not allowed to enter the Ladies events but after agreeing to cover the gold lamé with, records say this is true, “lace white panties”. She gave it “a go …” and reached the singles third round and the quarterfinals of the Ladies Doubles with Dorothy Head Knode and the Mixed Doubles with Władysław Skonecki.
Given immunity, in 2007, Tatiana Golovin wore red underclothing because it didn’t extend beyond the bottom of her skirt… though photos may put this in doubt…
Bloomers, boxers, briefs, drawers, intimates, nickers, skivvies, undies, unmentionables, even “tighty whities…” whatever they are called have seemingly been a focus of The Championships forever…
In 1994, making her eight appearance at the AELTC, a British press reporter told Katrina Adams after losing to 6-4, 6-3 to Larisa Neiland in the first round, “If it’s any consolation to you, we all thought they were very attractive anyway” referring to her “Fancy Pants…”, as the pink, green, black and white combination was called.
Adams, who would become the Chairman of the Board and President of the United States Tennis Association in 2015 and served until 2018, wasn’t sanctioned and responded, “Thanks a lot. You saw my bottom a lot today, huh? No peeping Toms or anything.”
It must be added that during the 1994 fortnight the Fashion Police (a popular nickname for those enforcing dress regulations) were unhappy that Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras wore “Baggy…” white shorts. Of course, Agassi didn’t play The Championships from 1988 to 1990 because the “predominantly white” dress code conflicted with his fashion sense.
In 2017, Junior Boys’ competition “underwearing…” was the hot topic. Juri Rodionov’s first round match was delayed because he had to change his blue boxer shorts, then in the Boys’ Doubles, Zsombor Piros and Wu Yibing, the top seeds, had to move from black and blue to “Tighty Whities…”
An exemption was granted in 2022 when it was decided that the following year “solid, mid/dark-colored undershorts provided they are no longer than the shorts or skirt” could be worn by female players.
Sally Bolton, AELTC CEO, said, “It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety.”
The strictures also extend to the Aorangi Park practice facility… In 2002, Anna Kournikova was forced to borrow a pair of white shorts from her coach Nick Bollettieri and abandon the black ones she was wearing.
In July 2012, Victoria Azarenka was beginning a warmup on a practice court for her semifinal against Serena Williams, when she discovered that the Fashion Police were ever present… and she was forced to don an AELTC white polo shirt to cover her yellow T-shirt.
In 1972 Rosemary Casals’ white dress with the purple squiggles, designed by Tingling, violated the “White Doctrine” and she was forced to change.
And… Who can forget Anne White’s all-white bodysuit in 1985? Tournament Referee Alan Mills couldn’t and told White after darkness suspended her match with Pam Shriver with the score 6-3, 6-7 to continue the next day she would have to wear a traditional tennis outfit… she did and lost the final set 6-3.
Supposedly the unitard “Drew too much attention to the sexual area” which led White to explain, “I didn’t want to put anyone off their strawberries and cream.”
The Fashion Police follow the AELTC decrees. The Tournament Referee and the match Chair Umpires, who can issue a reprimand or warn a player, make the “Can…Can’t Wear” decisions when it comes blouses, dresses, shorts, skirts and warmups, along with hats, headbands, socks, shoes (and shoelaces) and wristbands.
Radek Stepanek crossed the all-white color line when he arrived on Centre Court in 2012 to play his third round match against Novak Djokovic wearing red, white and blue tennis shoes and had to find “new kicks…”
A year later, Roger Federer wore tennis shoes with orange soles in his first round match against Victor Hanescu. They were “One and Done…” banned… which resulted in the limited edition selling out on the Nike website.
Federer set a Gentlemen’s fashion standard at The Championships in 2007 wearing a white blazer… the next year he returned to the 1930s wearing a white cardigan.
Being on hand and seeing it reminded me of the glorious white cable knit pullover sweater, with the navy blue and red Ivy League stripes, I had been gifted years before that actually made me feel “I was a player…”
The Championships’ traditions are rigorous… and players from Great Britain have played supporting roles… In 1930, 53-year old Brame Hillyard was the first competitor to wear tennis shorts, but it was on Court 10… which is why Bunny Austin’s tennis shorts unveiling on Centre Court in 1933, after removing his restrictive sweat soaked cricket flannels, earned more notoriety…
In 1936, Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey were the last Gentlemen’s Doubles champions to wear long pants. July 5, 1946, was momentous for Yvon Petra… He became the last Frenchman to win the Gentlemen’s Singles, and he did it ensconced in trousers.
In a tribute to the history of The Championships in 1983, Trey Waltke played Stan Smith on Court 6 in long white flannel slacks, a long-sleeved button-down shirt and used a tie as a belt. He won the match 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 2-0 when back spasms forced Smith, the adidas tennis shoe icon, to retire. He wore the same outfit except for a Ted Tingling alteration in his second round straight set loss to Ivan Lendl on Centre Court.
Waltke, who for ages has been the General Manager at the Malibu Racquet Club which is a short distance from the Pacific Coast Highway that runs along the coast in Southern California, told Associated Press, “I just did it because I thought it would be fun and different. I didn’t think I was going to be in Time magazine, which I was…”
He bought cricket pants at Lillywhites, adding, “They weren’t terrible. They weren’t the most flexible once I put a ball or two in the pocket, but they were fine.”
Following the match, he remembered Ted Tinling told him, “Young man, you don’t have the proper attire until you have your club tie as your belt. So, he asked if he could take my pants and actually sew some belt loops on and put a Wimbledon tie in there. I said, ‘Sure, go ahead’”.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands has always dressed… “Fashionably Bethanie”. At The Championships in 2011, as a Sports Illustrated story revealed… facing Misaki Doi in the first round, she wore a photographer-attracting jacket created by British designer Alex Noble. He had worked with Lady Gaga, the inspiration for the creation that featured half tennis balls.
Seeing the Fashion Police, prior to taking the court to warm up, Mattek-Sands said, “Don’t worry. I’m not hitting any balls in it. It’s too heavy to wear.”
Being true to her whimsy, in addition to the jacket, her outfit included a body hugging white dress with one long sleeve and one short sleeve that called attention to the tattoos on her upper right arm. Her distinctive knee-high socks couldn’t be overlooked and neither could her version of eye-black, in this case, black strips with silver “B” initials.
On Twitter before the tournament, Mattek-Sands talked about “Styling…” saying “Wimby has never seen something like this!” It should be mentioned that though she wasn’t sanctioned, Doi won the match 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
According to CNN, in 2025 an all-white reprieve was granted for doubles players Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral. They were allowed to wear small black ribbons to honor soccer star and Portuguese countryman Diogo Jota, who had recently been killed at the age of 28 in an automobile accident.
This year, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro was reprimanded by the chair umpire because her black undershirt became visible late in her 6-2, 6-3 first round victory over Anastasia Potapova.
Naomi Broady had a reputation in British tennis as a “Party Girl…” and “Wild Child…” which resulted in the loss of her Lawn Tennis Association funding. The assumption belied a serve that matched her 6’2” height and the fact she was a fierce competitor. But she drew more attention in 2014 after being forced to play braless in two matches during The Championships, because of the all-white stipulation.
Pat Cash, the Gentlemen’s champion in 1987, withdrew from the Legends event telling the BBC 5 Live, “Some of the girls have been told to go back and change their bras and tops because they had slight color on them. I believe some of the girls didn’t have suitable sports bras and had to go without them. It has absolutely gone ridiculous. It’s archaic thinking.”
Clothing companies use the Slams to make impressions. In 2016, Nike’s “Premier Slam” dress worn during the qualifying rounds resulted in many players doing their own Fashion Policing demanding “adjustments…” be made. The airy babydoll-like design was far too revealing as the material flew up when players were in motion. After Nike’s recall of the dress, telling players “this is VERY important”, alterations were made and the “Premier Slam” was worn during some events.
Venus Williams was warned about her pink bra straps in 2017 and after a rain delay, she returned to Centre Court wearing “standard issue…” white.
Her sister Serena, a seven-time Ladies winner, earned a Fashion Police double… he first was in 2014, playing doubles on Court 1 with Venus, for her purple and pink undershorts combination…but when a viral forced Venus to retire, Serena escaped unscathed… Then in 2016 when practicing at Aorangi Park in checkered undies she was warned and covered up by pulling on warmup pants.
The second round Ladies Singles match between Linda Siegel and Billie Jean King on June 28, 1979, is not remembered for King’s 6-1, 6-3 victory but for the “Revelations…” because Siegel, who turned 18 three weeks before the start of The Championships, depending on the media offerings “slipped out a few times…” or “…on virtually every point” of the lowcut, backless dress she was wearing…
Told to find an “appropriate dress” for her next match, she followed the advice and with Dana Gilbert, Brad Gilbert’s sister, lost 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Ladies Doubles to Sue Barker and Ann Kiyomura… segueing to another disclosure three of the players were Northern California familiar… Siegel being from Oakland, Gilbert from Piedmont and Kiyomura from San Mateo.
Nick Kyrgios is the dress code violation record holder. Wearing red Jordan shoes and baseball cap during the Gentlemen’s trophy ceremony after the 2022 final cost him $US25,000 … but as a finalist he earned $US1.29 million, so it may have been considered a “tournament expense…”
In 2015 in his third round match on July 3rd against Milos Raonic, he wore an official AELTC green and purple headband but was told to turn it inside out because it violated the all-white rule.
On July 5, 2026, British doubles player Julian Cash was docked $US7,500… a “dress and equipment” fine that the AELTC wouldn’t detail and Cash declined to discuss.
While there has never been a disqualification, The Championships scrupulously follows the “tennis whites…” accords…
Sunday, July 7, 1996… Gentlemen’s final… Richard Krajicek and MalVai Washington (who was a member of the Junior Davis teams when I was involved with the program and in time would become a friend) were at the net for pre-match photographs. I was sitting in the Centre Court media section next to renowned tennis journalist Steve Flink, who would become an International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee in 2017, when Melisssa Johnson, a student working with the catering staff at the tournament, appeared. She came running across the lawn directly toward us, sans her required tournament credential, wearing a brief white apron and nothing more than a dazzling smile. She flashed the players and, continuing to smile, turned to the Royal Box. She didn’t curtsey, merely struck a pose for those assembled, then was escorted off.
I turned to Flink after the apparition, struggling to constrain my mouth open “What did I just see…” expression.
From all indications the Duke and Duchess of Kent, along with Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were quite amused. It was speculated that their son, 17-year-old Lord Frederick Windsor, though the warmup hadn’t begun, would regard the match as the best he had ever seen.
After the appearance, Washington went to the baseline to begin the warmup, turned to the crowd and pulled his tennis shirt up revealing his bare chest which drew warm applause. After the match, he admitted, “I look over and see this streaker. She lifted the apron, and she was smiling at me. I got flustered and three sets later I was gone; that was pretty funny.”
There was more to the contest than the streaker as Krajicek became the first Dutchman to win the Gentlemen’s Singles with his 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory.
The 23-year-old Johnson was taken to the AELTC police station and released after the day’s play concluded. The Club noted, “Whilst we do not wish to condone the practice, it did at least provide some light amusement for our loyal and patient supporters, who have had a trying time during the recent bad weather.”
Naomi Osaka and Taylor Fritz’s “Walk Ons…” were defining…adding to The Championships photo albums that are filled with all-white and almost all-white snaps, and leaving one to wonder if Melissa Johnson is included in the historic presentation…
Title photo of Naomi Osaka by Peter van den Berg / ISI Photos