London: Wimbledon, arguably the most prestigious tennis tournament, today kicked off with a controversy after Nike-sponsored female players complained that the ‘baby doll style’ dresses are too short, fly above the waistline and hamper their play.
While kit manufacturer Nike is trying to push the boundaries with its ‘Premier Slam’ dress for female players, the players and fans have linked it to nighties.
Several players with Nike players reportedly asked the manufacturing giant to get the dress altered ahead of the tournament as it shows off too much flesh when it flies up above the waistline.
Although Wimbledon has very strict rules regarding the players’ dress, the All England Club officials approved the ‘baby doll’ outfit as it complies with their all-white kit rules.
However, sensing the dissatisfaction among the female years regarding the dress, Nike recalled the dresses for alterations. Nike-sponsored athletes and their representatives received an e-mail from the company asking them to bring the ‘baby doll’ dress to their shop for alteration.
Sabine Lisicki, runner-up of the 2013 Wimbledon Cup, did not wear the dress during her first round win over Shelby Rogers.
“Yes I did (try the dress). I didn’t feel comfortable showing that much (flesh),” she told AFP.
Similarly, Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova wore an altered version of the controversial f=dress during her singles match against American Bethanie mattek-Sands on Monday.
