Very interesting piece. It certainly highlights the old notion of the sport that it's meant to be "genteel." No one actually works enough to sweat, so god forbid the sweat should show. (As a side-bar in the Fedal Wars, this is where we get the notion that Roger is what tennis is "supposed to be," and Rafa is a "peasant," "blue-collar worker," whatever. Oh my! Tennis takes effort? Clutch the pearls.)
I'm going to say another thing about the whites that may make some folks cringe, but I don't know why it never gets said. All of the women who play tennis are in their fertile years. There are times when the last thing you want to wear is white. I don't know how humiliation is consistently avoided, though I think the bathroom breaks are more liberal, and, more likely, there will be some abuse of birth control pills. I don't know how else to explain it. The women might play better at Wimbledon if they were allowed to wear dark shorts or skirts.
