Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard has narrowly avoided punishment after Wimbledon match officials ruled her bra strap to be in violation of their rules.
The 21-year-old was on the court to face China’s Ying-Ying Duan, when the on-court referee noticed that her bra strap, which was peeking out another white sports bra under her white dress, was ‘unacceptable’.
The ‘violation’ occurred during the match, after an aggressive swing caused her black bra strap to pop out. The match referee, Louise Engzell, reportedly phoned the tournament referee’s office to report it.
Eugenie’s offending bra strap.
However, as the match continued, the violation was dismissed.
Wimbledon requires all players to be clad in all white, including undergarments, with the dress code stating, “Competitors must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white and this applies from the point at which the player enters the court surround.”
“Any undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre (10mm). In addition, common standards of decency are required at all times.”
In 2013, Roger Federer was also given a slap on the wrist because his all-white attire included orange soles on his shoes.
Bouchard lost the match to Duan 6-7, 4-6, which she attributed to a torn muscle in her abdomen.
The 21-year-old came runner-up in last year’s Wimbledon.
