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Wimbledon rule since 2014 forced female players to play braless letting fans watch more.

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Wimbledon rule 2014 makes players braless
Wimbledon rule 2014 makes players braless
Khushbu Kumari

Wimbledon adopted a new archaic dress code in 2014, according to which few female players were bound to remain braless during the tournament if their bra breached the all-white rule.

An archaic rule meant that some female Wimbledon stars were reportedly forced to go braless during the tournament in 2014.

SW19 rules state that all players, male and female, must adhere to the competition's strict all-white dress code. This also applies to undergarments, including bras. According to the official Wimbledon's website: 'Any undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre (10mm)."


Controversial Australian star Nick Kyrgios hit the headlines earlier this week for wearing red trainers on Centre Court. But the old-fashioned dress code came under even more scrutiny in 2014 when some female players had to remove their bras as they had slight colouration on them.

"Some of the girls have been told to go back and change their bras and tops because they had slight colour on them," BBC pundit and 1987 Wimbledon winner Pat Cash told BBC Radio 5 Live at the time.

"I believe some of the girls didn’t have suitable sports bras and had to go without them. It has absolutely gone ridiculous." The bizarre ruling was believed to have affected a number of players, including British star Naomi Broady, who appeared without a bra on during her second round match against Caroline Wozniacki.

However, it was not clear whether this was because her undergarments did not meet the rules. Earlier in the week, Venus Williams led a rebellion by threatening to wear animal print beneath her tennis whites.

During the same tournament, Williams also claimed she approved of the dress code, saying: 'It’s a nice change. Everyone just kind of glows in white. Obviously not all year, because anything every day is boring. But during these two weeks, it’s nice."

Wimbledon's rules state that: 'Competitors must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white and this applies from the point at which the player enters the court surround."

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