New Rules at Wimbledon: What Has Changed?
Wimbledon, which has the strictest sports rules in the world, has started to change these rules for the last 5 years. Apart from the dress and game rules, it also started making changes to the set rules.
According to the updated rules at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, “tie-break” will be applied if 12-12 equality is reached in the last set. At Wimbledon, the third grand slam tournament of the season in tennis, a “tie-break” arrangement was introduced for the final set. In a statement made by the organizers of the tournament, it was stated that after that, if 12-12 equality is reached in the games in the last set, the “tie-break” application will be activated. At Wimbledon in 2010, the longest match in tennis history was played.
The imposition of white shorts on female athletes at the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, one of the four grand slam tournaments in tennis, held in Great Britain, has been lifted. The All England Club, which owns the official rights to the tournament, heard that from now on female athletes can also compete in the tournament in dark, black shorts.
Wimbledon, which is one of the four biggest tennis tournaments and has a Decoupled place with its own unique rules, is giving up a tradition. According to a statement from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the organizer of the tournament, the day known as “Middle Sunday” will no longer be a holiday. In the two-week tournament held every year in July since 1877, the middle Sunday was called “Middle Sunday” and no matches were held that day. The rule was only extended in 1991, 1997, 2004 and 2016 due to rain compressing the match schedule.
Strict Dress Rules Changed
One of the most famous rules of the tournament is the strict dress code that players must follow. The players have to dress in white from head to toe. In fact, Roger Federer once received a warning because of his orange shoe soles and was asked to change his shoes. This rule dates back to the 1800s, when players wore white to prevent sweat stains. At first, the rule was applied only to women. Now men are also subject to this rule.
It’s not just Wimbledon that enforces the dress code. Tennis player Serena Williams wore a Wakanda-inspired catsuit to win the French Open in 2018, her first match after giving birth. He was banned from wearing it at future tournaments. But while other tournaments make dress codes mandatory, Wimbledon is more vocal about the rigidity of its rules.
Ball Collector Rules
250 boys and girls, about 15 years old, are selected for the tournament and they are given an important task such as following a fast-moving ball. They also undergo special tests to make sure that they can stand completely still for at least three minutes. Each ball collector undergoes 2.5 hours of training per week. Young people are constantly evaluated and those who cannot meet the high standards of the tournament are eliminated.
