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Original poster

To think that Wimbledon needs to up its game?

140 replies

CoffeeCantata · 12/07/2024 18:39

I love watching Wimbledon and so much about it is excellent but...

The poor Linesmen/women! Those horrible outfits suit absolutely no-one and are totally inappropriate for the job. Whatever their physique, this gear just doesn't seem to fit any of them. Shirts with contrasting collars, ties (for goodness' sake!) and badly-cut trousers. How about a smart polo shirt and either shorts or culottes?

Why do the ball-girls have to wear skirts? Why not shorts like the boys? Seems a bit outmoded.

The umpires' chairs are magnificent structures, affording excellent views and with multiple shelves and all kinds of devices attached - they want for nothing. But the players!! Two miserable plastic chairs?? Why can't they have a specially designed unit featuring a cushioned seat, an integrated, lidded cool-box and shelves for all their stuff? It seems they just have to dump all their stuff around them - very untidy and a bit 'school sports day'.

OP posts:
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KatyaKabanova · 12/07/2024 22:43

Quite, @Twitchingthenightaway I don't see a problem with seeing women in shorts.. ...

KatyaKabanova · 12/07/2024 22:42

Oh my god! You've never seen the ball girls' "Knicks", because as has been said upthread, they wear skorts 🙄.
This is a bit of a worrying tone....

Twitchingthenightaway · 12/07/2024 22:37

Gender-neutral hadn't occurred to me. I was thinking more of how I'd feel as a teenage girl, having to crouch down near the net ready to spring up, or to run across the court etc, wearing a skirt which might reveal my knicks.

When has this ever been an issue with the ball girls at Wimbledon? Have you ever seen a close up of their “knicks” in the paper or on tv? I doubt it. It sounds like you are making an issue when there isn’t one. We see women tennis players in dresses and their shorts underneath and they are often teenagers, do you have an issue with that as well?

Original poster
CoffeeCantata · 12/07/2024 19:58

Twitchingthenightaway · 12/07/2024 19:28

Why? Not everything has to be gender neutral.

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Gender-neutral hadn't occurred to me. I was thinking more of how I'd feel as a teenage girl, having to crouch down near the net ready to spring up, or to run across the court etc, wearing a skirt which might reveal my knicks.

If, as another poster said, they're actually 'skorts', and incorporate shorts so that underwear is not in danger of being revealed, then fine.

G-N has nothing to do with it, really, It's about practicality and that's the same, I would have thought, for everyone, when they're doing this job with spectators staring at you and with TV cameras on you.

OP posts:
BlackberrySky · 12/07/2024 19:34

I agree about the cut of the linesmen/women's trousers, they could do with a redesign. One thing I would say, as someone who lives quite near and goes most years, is that the colours and designs very much form part of the atmosphere in person that doesn't really come across on the TV. It will be interesting to see what happens if/when the expansion plan goes ahead - whether or not they will update then.

Twitchingthenightaway · 12/07/2024 19:28

CoffeeCantata · 12/07/2024 19:26

Well that's good news - but the ones I've seen do look very much like very short skirts and I don't see why there should be a differentiation. Proper shorts (not micro-shorts) for both sexes would be fine.

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Why? Not everything has to be gender neutral.

Original poster
CoffeeCantata · 12/07/2024 19:26

SquirmOfEels · 12/07/2024 19:13

Point of detail, the ballgirls don't wear skirts, they wear skorts

Well that's good news - but the ones I've seen do look very much like very short skirts and I don't see why there should be a differentiation. Proper shorts (not micro-shorts) for both sexes would be fine.

OP posts:
Original poster
CoffeeCantata · 12/07/2024 19:24

BeaRF75 · 12/07/2024 19:14

The player chairs are design classics, and so much more elegant than the brash logo-covered benches at other tournaments. The whole point of Wimbledon is understated elegance.
(But I do agree that the ball girls should be able to opt for shorts).

Definitely - but I don't mean some hi-tech or logo-encrusted thing. I mean a nice wooden green unit (in keeping with the umpires' chairs) but with a place for all the stuff the players need for their breaks. A 1920s Arts and Crafts vibe would look lovely!

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eddiemairswife · 12/07/2024 19:23

I wholeheartedly agree with you about the linesmen/women's outfits.

Foxxo · 12/07/2024 19:23

the seats are as they are because they have to be quickly moveable if it rains.

Even Center/Court 1 have rain covers that have to be put on quickly.

using heavier seating would make it harder to move them swiftly in event of sudden rain, and make it easier to injure the people moving them.

CroftonWillow · 12/07/2024 19:19

It sets itself apart as the 'classic' slam which the players say give it a certain atmosphere and charm. I agree.

MollyJustMight · 12/07/2024 19:16

Leave Wimbledon alone, why does everything have to change?

BeaRF75 · 12/07/2024 19:14

The player chairs are design classics, and so much more elegant than the brash logo-covered benches at other tournaments. The whole point of Wimbledon is understated elegance.
(But I do agree that the ball girls should be able to opt for shorts).

SquirmOfEels · 12/07/2024 19:13

Point of detail, the ballgirls don't wear skirts, they wear skorts

Mukirinessly · 12/07/2024 18:53

You’re right. I think Wimbledon as an institution, is really set in its ways. It’s been the same for years.