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Athletes call out "mental stress" of wearing Wimbledon uniform while on their period

Wimbledon is once again in full swing, and that means the return of endless pitchers of Pimms and aggressive grunting at the TV screen (in unison with your fave tennis players, of course). But, whilst the tennis championship makes for great viewing for those of us tuning in at home – or watching on from Murray Mound – it can be quite a stressful time for those competing, but not for the most obvious reason.

Competition pressures aside, there's another reason why those competing at Wimbledon may be feeling anxious. It's all to do with the rule that tennis players at Wimbledon can only wear white – which was brought in back in the 1800s as a way to avoid the noticeable sweat stains that can appear on colourful clothing. But, it seems that when the rule was introduced, something was severely overlooked: players being on their period.

Photo credit: Robert Prange - Getty Images
Photo credit: Robert Prange - Getty Images

Now, more and more athletes are speaking out against the tradition, with some even pointing out that worrying about leaking through whilst wearing white caused them to lose their matches. Not only that, but the issue is made worse given that toilet breaks during Wimbledon matches are reportedly very limited, and players are only allowed to leave the court at specific times.

Responding to a tweet about why "menstruation is never talked about as a possible factor in discussions about top seeds losing in the women’s draw", Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig said: "Definitely something that affects female athletes!"

Puig went on, "Finally bringing it to everyone’s attention! Not to mention the mental stress of having to wear all white at Wimbledon and praying not to have your period during those two weeks."

Previously, tennis player Heather Watson blamed being on her period for her loss at the Australian Open, saying: "It just was one of those days for me. I felt very light-headed and low on energy... I think it's just one of these things that I have, girl things. It just happens." She also pointed out that she was in a constant state of worry that she would be photographed leaking through her clothes.

"I would like to see it change," sports reporter Catherine Whitaker said of Wimbledon's all-white dress code. "If they had a clothing policy that affected men in the way that it does women, I don’t think that particular tradition would last. I cannot imagine going into the biggest day of my life, with my period, and being forced to wear white."

Hear, hear!

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