Wimbledon competitor Jelena Ostapenko was forced to lift her skirt during an exchange with an umpire to prove she was in compliance with the tournament’s dress code.
The incident took place on Friday before Ostapenko’s doubles match alongside Hsieh Su-wei. She appeared to be puzzled after umpire Jamie Crowson questioned what she was wearing. She eventually raised her skirt to show green undershorts.
As it turned out, she didn’t break any rules.
While Wimbledon had a longstanding all-white policy, the new rules, which were implemented in 2023, have allowed female players to wear darker-colored undershorts, making it more comfortable for anyone with menstrual issues.
The ump accepted her explanation, and the match started without a penalty.
Jelena Ostapenko Advances To The Quarterfinal
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Ostapenko and Hsieh faced Marta Kostyuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse, and despite the awkward moment, they won the match in three sets to advance to the third round, where they beat 14th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai.
They will play Sorana Cirstea and Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinal on Tuesday.
The incident likely surprised people watching from the stands, but it’s since been made clear that it wasn’t a show of defiance.
This all suggests that despite a rule stating something, there can still be confusion and the need for verification. Of course, a change after years of doing things a certain way makes it harder to keep a grip on things.
