The All England Club are set to relax their strict rules around female players needing to wear all-white underwear after issues of anxiety amongst female players were highlighted this summer.
There were protests outside the gates of Wimbledon during the tournament this year, with critics of the rule saying that it makes things unnecessarily difficult for women in the sport.
The issue has since been raised by several prominent figures in the game, including Judy Murray, who this week voiced her opinion on the matter ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
"I think it’s certainly a much more open talking point, but it would probably need more of the players to speak out openly about the trauma it can cause you, if you are wearing all white and then possibly have a leak while you’re playing. I cannot think of a much more traumatic experience than that", said Judy Murray.
The influential figure in women's tennis went on to say, "When all matches are televised and streamed now, it is something that needs to be considered. It’s one of those things, when something like that becomes a talking point, decisions have to be made on it. However it’s really important, too, that we have lots of women on the decision-making panel, because they understand what that’s like to have menstrual cycles and they understand the fear of that happening while playing".
It would appear that the rule is set to be relaxed from next summer onwards, so that it only applies to the top layer of clothing. In a statement in the last couple of days, the AELTC said, “Prioritising women's health and supporting players based on their individual needs is very important to us, and we are in discussions with the WTA, with manufacturers and with the medical teams about the ways in which we can do that”.
This would be a welcome change for female players at Wimbledon, and is a rare display of flexibility from the All England Club. Something that will be welcome across the sport.
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