Female tennis star who reached Wimbledon final 'concerned' by tournament's dress code

Eugenie Bouchard has confessed that Wimbledon's strict dress code is a cause for concern among female tennis players, particularly during their menstrual cycles.

The prestigious tennis Grand Slam in London requires all competitors to don all-white attire, a rule dating back to the 1880s when sweat stains were deemed unsightly and white clothing was believed to minimise their visibility.

This regulation, while still enforced today, can pose challenges for female athletes - and in response to concerns, Wimbledon introduced a new rule allowing women to wear dark undershorts as long as they are not visible beneath their white skirts.

Speaking on the Not Alone podcast with Valeria Lipovetsky, Canadian tennis star Bouchard admitted that the requirement to wear white can still induce anxiety. She revealed: "Unfortunately we cannot plan our own tennis matches, that is something completely out of our control.

"The tournament decides the schedule and when you play, so there's no chance for that at all. I've definitely experienced really bad period cramps, pain, and I remember having that the day before the US Open in New York.

"And I was like 'thank god this is just a practice day today, because if I had to play my match today it would be really hard'. I did play right away the next day so it wasn't the best but it's just something we have to deal with. We cannot control the schedule so it's just luck.

"And I know some of the girls on tour also get a little worried when it comes to Wimbledon because you have to wear white. So it just makes you a little more self-conscious if you're...you know. It's tough, but now they've changed the rules where you can wear like a different-coloured undergarment - so your ball shorts under the dress can be a different colour. But that's a super-recent rule."

Bouchard, who has since swapped tennis for pickleball, also spoke out against sexism she encountered in the sport throughout her career and revealed how it deterred her from partaking in off-court activities she enjoyed.

She added (via the Mirror): "I would like to say that somewhat early on I was open to doing off-court projects or different things - and that's something actually I got, at times, negative comments about, because it was like 'well, you're a tennis player, you shouldn't be doing a photoshoot for Vogue. Like, what are you doing?'"

"Back in the day I think that it was a lot less acceptable to do that. People really wanted you to stay in your box a lot more. And so it made me feel bad, it made me feel guilty. I'm like 'well I did still practice four hours today, I swear' and I just felt this aggressive kind of guilting put on me.

"I really stayed with tennis - some off-court projects here and there - and then it was just more recently where I'm now playing pickleball and have my hands in multiple different things, and I feel a huge sense of enjoyment out of that, because since five, since eight, since nine it's really been only tennis. And I love it."

The comments followed her public lament over what she perceives as double standards for women in professional sport.

She recalls how she would've been "crucified" for admitting she enjoys the limelight, calling out newcomer Jack Draper who declared in an interview with Vogue: "I quite enjoy being in front of the camera, if I'm looking good, that is."

Bouchard candidly responded on X, asserting: "If I had said this 10 years ago I would have been crucified," which drummed up collective agreement among fans in the comment section.

One supporter remarked: "Raducanu is still getting criticised, nothing has changed for women. Double standards still exists", while another chimed in with: "You still would be today!"

Wimbledon is set to kick off next month, with the draw for the initial matches scheduled for Friday (June 28). Bouchard's most successful run at the tournament was in 2014 when she made it to the women's singles final after defeating Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals and Simona Halep in the semis.

However, she fell short in the final against Olympic bronze medallist Petra Kvitova, losing in straight sets 6-3, 6-0.