6 Women’s Tennis Facts You’ll Wish You’d Known Sooner

The Wimbledon Dress Code Once Forced Players to Wear Corsets

Early female tennis players competed in full-length dresses, corsets, and petticoats—essentially playing Grand Slam matches in Victorian underwear. In 1979, Canadian player Catherine McTavish shocked Wimbledon by becoming the first woman to wear shorts on court . Some praised her modernity; others called her disrespectful to tradition. Today, players wear everything from leggings to catsuits, and we have McTavish to thank for breaking the “cover your knees” rule.