The color of underwear has become an issue at Wimbledon again as 3 players were forced to change during matches
It's widely known that competitors at Wimbledon must adhere to a strict dress code, but on Wednesday and Thursday the commitment to these rules was taken a bit further than casual tennis fans might be used to seeing.
On Wednesday, while competing in the boys' doubles tournament at Wimbledon, top-seeded 18-year-olds Zsombor Piros and Wu Yibing were forced to put their match on hold after being pulled over by a rules official. Their violation? Underwear that did not comply with Wimbledon's rule book. The pair were handed fresh white briefs and asked to leave the court and get changed.
The players seemed a bit surprised at being pulled over by the fashion police, since to any casual observer they were dressed in all white, but accepted the court's ruling and went to get changed. When they got back to playing Piros and Yibing were unfazed, taking the match in straight sets.
You can watch video of the odd interaction below.
Astoundingly, this would not be the last undergarment violation of the tournament, as during play on Thursday yet another player was found guilty of wearing dark underwear. This time it was 18-year-old Jurij Rodionov who was asked to explain himself. Meeting the umpire at the net, Rodionov pulled down his pants a bit revealing the underpants in question with an expression that essentially says "What seems to be the problem officer?"
After it was explained to him that his briefs could be seen during some of his serves, Rodionov was eventually sent off to get changed as well, but not before blessing us with a few fantastic gifs.
Rodionov returned to the court in rule-abiding underpants and won his third-round match.
According to the official rules of Wimbledon, playing outfits must be "almost entirely white," and the as the first addendum of that rule clearly states, "white does not include off white or cream," so don't try and sneak any of that by the eagle-eyed officials watching the courts.
Specifically regarding undergarments, Wimbledon's rulebook states, "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 centimeter (10mm). In addition, common standards of decency are required at all times."
It's not the first time that seemingly innocent clothing choices have become an issue at Wimbledon. In 2013 Roger Federer was warned because his shoes had orange soles, and Venus Williams was asked to change after a bit of her pink bra was showing on the very first day of play at this year's tournament.
Wimbledon 2017 is coming to a close, with the final matches scheduled over the next few days. Hopefully players will take note and going forward avoid any unnecessary stoppages for wardrobe changes mid-match.