One custom that has been slow to change when it comes to tennis is the wearing of the traditional “tennis whites” on court. The prim and proper folks at Wimbledon created this tradition in 1890. They continue to encourages a conservative style for athletes, and the whites tradition is revered and respected to this day - thankfully, a few things in life never change!
The “whites” rule was originally imposed because it was the common color (or absence of color) to wear on court at the time, and it best hid signs of perspiration – God forbid a lady should be seen sweating! But the original logic still holds true. In warm weather, white is an ideal choice for keeping the body cool and modern moisture-wicking fabric provides extra comfort and protection.
While white is the only color on the palette at Wimbledon, the competitors at this year’s pre-Wimbledon tourneys are sporting lime green, bright yellow, neon orange, vivid red and pink - in the men’s and women’s trendy tennis lines. Other popular hues this year are the “Blueprint” color used in Stella McCartney’s tennis collection for Adidas, and the “Collegiate Purple” shade, used in Adidas adiZero tennis clothing line.
As with Suzanne Lenglen’s startling introduction in 1922 of a colorful bandeau, women players of tennis have always been in the forefront for setting the tennis fashion tone. This trend continues today – most noticeably when the Williams sisters hit the tennis scene. But the men are stepping it up when it comes to tennis style and color. While Roger Federer still sports mostly conservative, British-like tones, other players like Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco can be seen sporting bright and bold shades.
No one knows what next year’s on-court color palette will be, but one thing is for certain. As tennis becomes progressively more popular to consumers, tennis styles are taking a turn toward trendy!
The “whites” rule was originally imposed because it was the common color (or absence of color) to wear on court at the time, and it best hid signs of perspiration – God forbid a lady should be seen sweating! But the original logic still holds true. In warm weather, white is an ideal choice for keeping the body cool and modern moisture-wicking fabric provides extra comfort and protection.
While white is the only color on the palette at Wimbledon, the competitors at this year’s pre-Wimbledon tourneys are sporting lime green, bright yellow, neon orange, vivid red and pink - in the men’s and women’s trendy tennis lines. Other popular hues this year are the “Blueprint” color used in Stella McCartney’s tennis collection for Adidas, and the “Collegiate Purple” shade, used in Adidas adiZero tennis clothing line.
Shuai Peng and Victoria Azarenka at BNP Paribas Open
Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic at Sony Ericsson Open
As with Suzanne Lenglen’s startling introduction in 1922 of a colorful bandeau, women players of tennis have always been in the forefront for setting the tennis fashion tone. This trend continues today – most noticeably when the Williams sisters hit the tennis scene. But the men are stepping it up when it comes to tennis style and color. While Roger Federer still sports mostly conservative, British-like tones, other players like Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco can be seen sporting bright and bold shades.
Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco at Sony Ericsson Open
No one knows what next year’s on-court color palette will be, but one thing is for certain. As tennis becomes progressively more popular to consumers, tennis styles are taking a turn toward trendy!
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