Fashion is fickle, but in tennis, tradition still trumps trends. All-white or primarily white attire still is standard for elite tennis clubs and certain competitions even though public courts are somewhat lax in requirements. Originally a sport associated with money and privilege, tennis rules about attire helped determine who played and who could not.
Basics
You face your opponent across the net alone in singles or play with a partner in doubles matches. Standard singles tennis courts measure 78 feet long by 27 feet wide and doubles courts are 36 feet wide. A net spans the width of the court and divides it into two. At its highest point at the posts it measures 3 feet 6 inches then sags slightly to 3 feet high at the center. You use a tennis racket to hit the ball, which is hollow and made of felt-coated rubber. Tennis players once used wooden rackets that warped easily. Today, composite materials replace wood and racket heads measure 29 inches by 12-1/2 inches maximum.
History
Tennis originated in France in the 16th century. The term tennis comes from the French "tenez" meaning to hold or to take, according to Robert Credo, author of "Sports and games of the 18th and 19th centuries." Henry VIII of England was a tennis enthusiast and played indoors at Hampton Court, says Crego. Lawn tennis later branched off from indoor tennis, becoming a fixture on large English estates. The game expanded along with the British Empire in 1890, reaching India and Australia.
Restrictions and Liberation
In the 1800s and early 1900s, ladies wore elaborate white sports attire, which was fanciful, if not functional, according to Patricia Campbell Warner, author of "When the Girls came out to Play: The Birth of American Sportswear." Corsets and bustles did not encourage much vigorous activity, and even less-structured outfits featured multiple restrictive layers. Infamous champion Suzanne Lenglen scandalized the public in the 1920s with her unstructured short tennis sheaths. Jack Kramer was one of the brash American players in the late 1940s and 1950s who wore "underwear" in the form of white T-shirts during matches. Tennis rules once banned any professional players from the major tournaments but in 1968 Wimbledon declared itself "open," meaning that it officially accepted professional players. Reflecting a new attitude in tennis, Venus and Serena Williams dominated the game in the beginning of the 21st century wearing bright colors and bold jewelry during their matches.
Practicality and Tradition
All-white apparel was a signifier of class and privilege, but wearing white was also practical. Players stay cooler during strenuous matches because white reflects the sun's heat rather than absorbing it. White shows sweat less than darker colors, too, leaving the player looking fresher and perhaps maintaining a psychological edge over his drenched and damp challenger. Originally an iconoclast, Andre Agassi evolved from rock-star locks and black socks in the early 1990s to more conservative white attire and closely cropped hair in 2000. Despite all the changes in society, Wimbledon still requires players to wear white clothing during the competition.
References
- http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/history/fashion.html
- 4 Specialty Tennis: Tennis Apparel History
- "Sports and Games of the 18th and 19th centuries" ; Robert Crego; 2003
- Google Images: Andre Agassi
- "Reading Nonfiction Two"; Elliott Quinley; 2001
- "When the Girls Came Out to Play"; Patricia Campbell Warner; 2006
Member Comments