Ons Jabeur forgot one key Wimbledon rule it got her kicked off Centre Court during her warm-up for the women’s final.
Ahead of her defeat to Marketa Vondrousova in 2023, Jabeur was sent back to the changing rooms by officials at the All England Club for wearing a black top to practice in.
At Wimbledon, wearing any colour other than white is strictly prohibited and Jabeur was told she had to change into the traditional all-white attire before coming back on court.
According to the All England club’s guidelines, all players must wear entirely white – which does not include variations of white or cream colours.
The rule reads: “Competitors must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white and this applies from the point at which the player enters the court surround.”
Three-time Wimbledon champion Chris Evert, who was working as an analyst for TV first told viewers what happened. “Ons was wearing all black on Centre Court and they kicked her off.
“They kicked her off and made her put on white clothes. At Wimbledon you have to wear white!
“Even in the final of Wimbledon. I thought that was interesting.”
When asked about the incident, Jabeur explained her focus on the final caused her to momentarily forget.
“I completely forgot the white rules,” she said in her post-match press conference. “When you go into a match court, you just dress up as normal clothes.
“For me, I completely forget that today I was warming up on Centre Court, it has to be all white. Yeah, I don’t know, it was just an honest mistake.”
The dress rules are unique to Wimbledon, which is the oldest tournament of tennis’ four Grand Slams.
The guideline has come under scrutiny by players in recent times, who have voiced their displeasure at having to wear all-white.
In 2022 there was a slight alteration to the rule that allows women to wear dark-coloured undershorts if they wished to.
Jabeur’s 6-4 6-4 defeat to Vondrousova was her second consecutive Wimbledon final loss having also been beaten by Elena Rybakina in 2023.
It meant the Tunisian native missed out on a slice of history by becoming the first African to win the championship, but she’s focused ahead of the 2024 edition, which begins in July having not win any singles titles to date this year.
Earning close to a $1m in prize money this year, the world no.10’s wait for a grand slam goes on, though, having also played and lost the US Open final in 2022 when Iga Swiatek beat her.
After playing her second final, the fan favourite, who always has a smile on her face, recalled to Sky Sports her memories are understandably unhappy ones. “I think it’s going to be a tough moment coming back, but also a nice moment.
“The last time I walked off the court at Wimbledon, it was really sad and I was really crying, so I hope I don’t get those memories back.
“But I’m really looking forward to playing at Wimbledon. It’s one of those places which is my own paradise.
“I don’t know [why her connection with British fans is so strong]. Maybe they like my energy, they like everything I share with them. I feel like it’s a really honest relationship with the crowd. I’m loving it, and I love it every day.
“I really feel supported and respected here [in Britain], and all I can do is really give them good energy.”
That’s something she certainly always does – even David Beckham is a fan.