Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Game, Set, and Championship points aside, here’s a look at the style points the tennis stars have been scoring on the courts of Wimbledon

“Quiet, please, ladies and gentlemen, thank you!” Wimbledon has many characteristics it can call its own. The formalities, the court manner… the white garbs—in classic English style, everything had to be pristine, white. From when women entered the competitive tennis arena in Wimbledon, as far back as the 1880s, a lot has changed on the courts. The whites remain, but fashion’s ever-restless arms have added their own touches like a frill or two, a shortened hem, or add a dash of colour. So much so that women’s tennis courts have become a fashion playground of sorts, well complemented by talent, grit and the muscles seen on the men’s circuit. With the A-list guests adding their brand of style and panache to the stands, the many sporting brands like Nike, Adidas and Lacoste are pushing fashion boundaries with designer collaborations in a bid to keep up with the glamour on court.

By Sandhya Mahadevan

Suzanne Lenglen

Twenty odd years later French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen made corsets a thing of the past and boldly strode on court in an airy ankle length frock. Need we say that she wore short sleeves? Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Gertrude Moran

Post war, many tennis stars on Wimbledon were taken in under the wing of the very talented Ted Tinling—the multi-hyphenate fashion designer dressed tennis stars up until the ’80s. Under his style tutelage, American tennis player Gertrude Moran took to the courts in satin-trimmed frilly white dresses. Her famous lace knickers will be remembered in tennis circles for years to come—probably a prelude to the now-popular innerwear as outerwear trend? Perhaps not, but might as well be. Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

May Sutton Bundy

May Sutton Bundy was the first American to win in Wimbledon. She also created another stir when in 1905 she “boldly” rolled her sleeves up to keep them from getting in the way. They were “too long and too hot.” Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Steffi Graf

With the ’80s and ’90s came fabric innovations. Lightweight, breathable yet stylish, to perfectly complement the new kind of power tennis on display.

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Helen Jacobs

Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Maria Sharapova

Then came the bevy of beauties, from Anna Kournikova to Maria Sharapova, and so began the mini-skirt revolution on the tennis courts. In the noughties, tops came laced, spliced and with cut-outs—In 2008, Sharapova lost the title on court but was talked about in fashion circles for her tuxedo top. Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Margaret Court

As if like an obvious progression—well, it only made sense—in the ’70s, the clothes got tighter and shorter. So did the tennis stars: The women were fitter, leaner (not meaner) and a lot athletic, as well. Margaret Court’s famous words, “I guess with myself, I was probably the first woman to lift weights and do circuit training and to run the sand hills… “ Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Alice Marble

Around the same time, Alice Marble and Helen Jacobs were making masculine statements in centre court. Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Maud Watson

Suffice to say, things have come a long way since Maud Watson made history in 1884 as she won the championship in the inaugural ladies championship wearing a long dress, corset included. Her long white layered gown, impractical as it may seem in today’s context had a purpose behind it: White was worn as a means to mask perspiration. Elegance was, indeed, priority. Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Helen Wills Moody

In 1933, another American Helen Wills Moody, introduced vizors to her gear—a fashion staple until today. Photo: Getty

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces

Serena Williams

Last year, Serena Williams took yet another bold step and showed off some hot pink in her all-white ensemble. Her skin-tight frilly number at the beginning of the week did well to show off her muscles... Are we looking at another title?

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Wimbledon’s Style Aces