No one could argue that Roger Federer was not the picture of class receiving his fifth Wimbledon crown on championship Sunday in long white pants and a customised white blazer. Federer cemented his image as fashion icon in his finery. He presented himself as a true gentleman.

Championship Saturday was quite a different story. Four-times winner Venus Williams was a disgrace, accepting the trophy in her underwear. Forget about being a lady, she wasn’t even acceptable. During her walk around Centre Court holding the Venus Rosewater dish aloft, she looked like one of those bikini-clad chicks at a boxing match carrying a sign saying Round 1.

Venus’s excuse for playing the entire tournament in her underwear was that her skirt arrived too big. Oh, really? Aren’t her clothes custom-made? Are there no tailors in all of London? Isn’t she a seamstress herself? I dare say that most women could figure out how to put a dart in a too-big waistline, let alone a fashion-school graduate. And what about the pre-Wimbledon fitting? What happened there? All that aside, the fact that the “shorts” were emblazoned with the Reebok logo belied the misfitting skirt story anyway.

'Serena doesn’t seem to be capable of wearing anything that actually covers her bra straps'


Venus wasn’t the first Williams sister to win a major in her undergarments. During the 2005 Australian Open, Serena removed part of her outfit during a match and played the rest of the tournament in what was left. It had about as much material as a bathing suit. Venus’s outfit at this year’s Wimbledon capped what has become a disturbing trend in women’s tennis: the incredible shrinking outfit. Wimbledon, which likes to stand on tradition, needs to make some additions to the dress code. Having to wear predominately white is not cutting it. Skirts should be limited to three inches above the knee. That’s plenty short.

Of course, a nice pair of shorts or a skort would be the most ideal. And a top with sleeves; no more spaghetti straps. As it is now, each and every time they serve, their skirts fly up to the waist in the back. That is, if the skirt is not skin tight. Last week, Daniela Hantuchova, who can’t be bigger than a tall size four, was wearing an outfit so small that it kept bunching up and she had to keep pulling the shirt and the skirt down. Serena doesn’t seem to be capable of wearing anything that actually covers her bra straps. With tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line in these matches, the last thing anyone should be concerned with is a wayward strap or a skirt that keeps trying to become a belt.

As my mother would say, a lady never adjusts her clothing in public. But just about any time you watch a women’s match, they spend time after almost every point adjusting some part of the outfit. Venus has in the past adjusted her tops during a point. That has to be distracting.

The Williams sisters were fashion trend-setters when they burst on to the tour. They sidestepped traditional tennis garb and opted for brighter colours, custom-designed dresses and even a black catsuit. Now, in seemingly trying to outdo themselves, they have degenerated into plain tackiness: hoochie meets tennis. Other players, in trying to keep up and make their own fashion statements, have started playing in what amounts to cocktail dresses. These spaghetti-strapped, ultra-short, ultra-tight numbers are pushing the limits of decency. And the big earrings are pushing the limits of common sense.

With the women sporting bare shoulders and clavicle-dragging earrings on the court, it makes you wonder what they wear when they go out at night - muu-muus and little studs? I suppose in a climate where women athletes are touted for their looks as much as their talent, they’re trying to be sexy. But tennis is not a sexy sport. No sport is sexy, but tennis the very least of all with the screeching and the contorting, the fist pumps and primal screams, not to mention the dripping sweat.

Outside of tennis, why do women athletes in general have to compete practically naked? Gymnasts wear only a high-cut leotard, which has very young girls walking around with their bare buttocks showing. Beach volleyball players wear two-piece suits so skimpy they can barely fit sponsor logos on them and have to have them tattooed on the skin. Figure skaters wear barely their skirts that spend the whole routine around the waist. Track and field athletes compete in what amounts to panties and sports bras. I don’t think the framers of Title IV had jiggle-lympics in mind when they fought for equality in sports.

Sometimes more really is more. If you want attention for your outfits, add some material. That way, there will actually be something to discuss.