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The Wimbledon Championships are the oldest and most prestigious of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments. As such, Wimbledon is awash in long-lasting traditions and features, such as the habit of calling the men’s and women’s competitions “Gentlemen’s” and “Ladies’,”  31  . But arguably the most notable aspect of the event is the all-white dress code for all participants. Why does the tournament specify that its players dress “  32  in white” or “almost entirely in white?” 

   The short answer is “because it’s in the dress code.” But it’s in the dress code for a reason: namely, when the code was written in the genteel 1880s, sweat stains were considered so improper and unsightly that it was decided that white should be worn to minimize their  33  , as sweat is more apparent on colorful clothing. From that period on, “tennis whites” were considered the standard  34  for well-heeled tennis players, which described everyone who played in the first Wimbledon tournaments. 

   The all-white dress code, however, has not always been popular with players. The most extreme case of this was when superstar Andre Agassi refused to play at Wimbledon from 1988 to 1990 in part because the dress code prevented him from wearing the flashy clothing that he was most comfortable wearing. When the criticism of some of the greatest players of all time is not enough to get Wimbledon to   35   its dress code, there is a good chance that we will continue to see Wimbledon participants clad in all white for a good long time.