Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard revealed in a recent interview that her fellow WTA colleagues tend to get worried about wearing the traditional Wimbledon whites at certain times of the month.
Both men and women competing at SW19 must don all-white clothing, in accordance with a rule established in the 1880s. This was due to the fact that officials wanted to minimize the visibility of sweat stains, which were considered unsightly at the time. However, the tournament organizers introduced a new rule last year that allowed female players to wear dark undershorts as long as they don’t show beneath their white skirts.
"Unfortunately we cannot plan our own tennis matches, that is something completely out of our control," said the Canadian on the Not Alone podcast. "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-colored undergarment - so your ball shorts under the dress can be a different color. But that's a super-recent rule."