The bizarre reason Wimbledon tennis players are only allowed to wear white on the court

Wimbledon 2026 is in full swing. From the strawberries and cream to A-list viewers, the annual tennis tournament is famous for many things.

But, out of everything that makes viewers excited, it’s arguably the fashion styles that are the most iconic.

And, while the Wimbledon players can bring all the drama and serves, the one thing they can’t bring with them is a spot of colour, as it’s the only tennis tournament that has a white-only dress code for players.

Why is there a rule that Wimbledon players have to wear white?

Well, the reason for the all-white dress code actually comes down to rules created when the tournament first started.

As part of the tradition, players are only allowed to wear white to make their sweat marks less visible.

This comes after theories dating back from the 1800s claimed coloured clothing made the appearance of sweat more visible.

It kind of makes sense, though, as I’m sure we want to be focused only on the ball, not a players’ sweat. Right?

Have any Wimbledon players broken the white dress code?

Most Read

Bonnie Blue reveals the sheer number of men she’s slept with while pregnant and I feel sick

What child model branded ‘most beautiful girl in the world’ is doing now as she gets married

A rundown of who from Love Island 2026 was scouted, and who applied to be on the show

via Unsplash

In 2017, Venus Williams almost broke the rule after her pink bra strap was on show through her white outfit.

It also seems Wimbledon take it very seriously. This year, Spanish player Jessica Bouzas wore a black undershirt and got told off by the umpire when it showed.

The official Wimbledon website explains the rule, saying: “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.”

The only exception is for a single trim of colour, which is allowed at just one centimetre on the neckline.

It even specifies the precise shade of white players are allowed, clarifying: “White does not include off white or cream.”

So, next time you watch the tennis, at least you’ll know the exact reason the players are dressed all in white.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook. 

Featured image before edits via Charles Ng, Carine06, Si.robi under Creative Commons Share Attribution 2.0