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Wimbledon star broke dress code rules and had to borrow shorts from her coach
Wimbledon star broke dress code rules and had to borrow shorts from her coach
Anna Kournikova was told off by Wimbledon chiefs in 2002 before she even took to the court after breaking the strict dress code at the All England Club
Anna Kournikova smiles at Martina Hingis
(Image: Getty Images )
Anna Kournikova once found herself in a spot of bother during a Wimbledon practice session, having violated the All England Club's stringent dress code by wearing a pair of shorts that weren't white. At SW19, players are typically required to don all-white attire.
This year saw a rare exception with black armbands worn as a tribute to the late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, but aside from this, the rule is strictly white-only on court. Prior to the commencement of the 2002 tournament, Russian tennis sensation Kournikova was reprimanded for turning up to her practice session clad in black shorts.
At the time, she was ranked 54th in the world and was participating in the British Slam for the final time in her career.
She even made it to the women's doubles semi-finals that year, only to be defeated by the eventual champions, Serena and Venus Williams.
However, before she could even set foot on the court, Kournikova was firmly instructed by tournament officials to change her attire, reports the Express.
In 1963, a rule was implemented requiring all competitors to dress 'predominantly in white', which was later revised in 1995 to 'almost entirely white.'
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This regulation applies not only during matches but also on the practice court. Kournikova became acutely aware of these rules when she arrived for practice in her black shorts.
Unfortunately, she was without a pair of white shorts and had to find an alternative solution.
She ended up borrowing a pair from the renowned late coach Nick Bollettieri to adhere to the regulations and continue playing on the court.
Wimbledon's strict rules extend to practice sessions before the tournament starts.
On Centre Court, players outside the top 10 are restricted to just 30 minutes of hitting time each, leading many elite players to partner up for a combined hour of practice.
Kournikova, while not alone in flouting Wimbledon's dress code, did ensure she was decked out in all-white for her opening match against Tatiana Panova, despite a disappointing 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 defeat.
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Andre Agassi famously skipped the tournament between 1988 and 1990 in protest of the all-white clothing mandate, later stating in his autobiography: "I resent rules, but especially arbitrary rules. Why must I wear white? I don't want to wear white."
He also expressed his frustration with the establishment, saying, "Why should it matter to these people what I wear? Above all, I took offence at being barred and blocked and made to feel unwanted."
Nick Kyrgios made headlines when he stepped onto Centre Court in 2022 sporting a red cap and red trainers, and has recently voiced his opinion that Wimbledon should scrap the all-white dress code to allow players more freedom to express their individual styles at the prestigious Grand Slam event.
