Tennis star questions new underwear rule for female players at Wimbledon this year
We are only a couple days away from July, which can only mean one thing... Wimbledon is well and truly here.
Well, the qualifiers for the prestigious tournament are already under way, with the first proper round starting next week.
Get the strawberries and cream plus the Pimm's at the ready, as the best tennis players on the planet are set to battle it out to be crowned champion of one of sport's greatest events.
But while the focus is usually on the court - and the Pimm's in my case - a new rule has certainly been one of the main talking points heading into this year's tournament.
Advert
Previous regulations at Wimbledon had strictly prohibited any competitors from wearing any other colour except white.
However, that has been subsequently changed this year following protests that took place at the 2022 tournament.
Campaigners from Address The Dress Code staged a protest outside the main gate over its all-white clothing policy, wearing white skirts with red undershorts to highlight the worries women face competing in traditional white.
Around the same time, British tennis star, Alicia Barnett, opened up about the stress of Wimbledon whites and trying to play tennis on such a big stage feeling 'bloated and tired'.
"I think being on your period on the tour is hard enough, but to wear whites as well isn't easy," she said ahead of a match last year.
Following that, a new amended rule was brought in that allows players to choose their preferred colour of underwear.
But while many have praised the move for women to be able to choose their underwear colour of choice, tennis star Ons Jabeur is not the biggest fan.
The world number six on the WTA tour is not the biggest fan of the rule change.
Speaking before the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, Jabeur said: "There is two things. One thing, itās better definitely not to be paranoid. And the other thing, everybody will know that you have your period. So Iām not sure which part of it is good.
"I think I donāt think Iām going to wear anything. If all the girls will wear it, I think it will make it better. But I think itās a great thing that Wimbledon is trying to help women feel more comfortable on the court."
In an update to the Wimbledon rulebook that was issued last November, The All England Club Chief Executive Sally Bolton said: "It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety."
Callum Jones