The Double Standard In Tennis

Revealing outfits for the women, cover ups for the men

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM THE U.S. OPEN – Sexy black lycra cat suit – good!

Sleeveless white muscle shirt – bad!

It sounds like an old Saturday Night skit dating back to when Dana Carvey did his best impersonation of the President known as 41 (that’s George Bush the Elder to those not in the know).

But it wasn’t old – it was the verdict yesterday at the U.S. Open where a clear double standard exists between what the men and the women can wear on court. And in the topsy-turvy world of tennis, the double standard dress code actually works against the guys.

On the opening day of the Open, Serena Williams debuted one of the more daring outfits to be modeled on a tennis court. Yes, it was a sexy black lycra cat suit that looks tight you might think she paints it on before heading out to play. Williams had gone through proper channels and sent the couture design to the Open prior to the tournament for approval.

Fast forward to Wednesday when buff Tommy Haas of Germany showed up on court with a sleeveless white shirt and it was only a matter of minutes when the officialdom raced to the court and cried foul. Apparently, at the U.S. Open, revealing biceps is a bit too risque.

According to a statement released by USTA officialdom “sleeveless shirts for men are not considered “customary” men’s tennis attire and Mr. Haas did not submit the shirt for approval in advance of his match.”

The actual rule in the 2002 Official Grand Slam Rule Book is under Article III, C-Dress and Equipment that states, “Every player shall dress and present himself for play in a professional manner. Clean and customarily acceptable tennis attire shall be worn as determined by each respective Grand Slam.”

Since the incident has come to light more than one voice has been vociferous in responding: Get with the program, it’s the 21st century, after all!

CARILLO QUESTIONS SERENA CHOICE
“Absurd is the operative term,” former player and well-known broadcaster Mary Carillo told tennisreporters.net when discussing the incident. “It’s very hard because the line is so blurred, but the one thing that is for sure is there’s nothing ‘customary’ about what Serena is wearing. Tommy has to think it’s absurd, Serena thought it was absurd, even Pete (Sampras) got in his line about curves. I did my whole picks and pans (for CBS) from yesterday on it. I quoted Johnette Howard (Newsday sportswriter) who years ago said that anyone who wants to buy latex should be subject to a 24-hour waiting period like you are for buying a gun.”

Tracy Austin, who in her day wore conservative Ted Tinling pinafores, was also quick to note the injustice of the double standard being applied to the men.
“Basically, it’s a matter of taste, but if Serena can wear that suit, he’s got to be okay, too,” Austin told tr.net. “Traditionally, men wear collars and sleeves, but if you see what they wear on the women’s side, it’s pretty tough to tell Haas that his shirt was not acceptable. Personally, I’d like to see the men’s shorts a little shorter.”

It’s hard not to agree with both Carillo and Austin and not wonder how officials can rectify in their minds that the revealing cat suit is professional attire and the sleeveless shirt isn’t. One opinion, however, seems fairly universal and that is to have made a scene about the Haas shirt tends to make the USTA look a bit silly.

“It you see some of the stuff that they’ve been wearing on the women’s side, you have to give them credit, they’re probably ahead of us, for sure,” said Haas, who immediately changed his shirt to a more traditional sleeved number upon request. “But, you know, that’s something maybe for us to look at and to see what we can do.

“Basically, they told me it’s not appropriate to wear. I asked them what is appropriate on the women’s tour, you see Serena and some of those ladies wearing all this tight stuff.”

SAMPRAS HAS AN EYE FOR THE LADIES … ATTIRE
As for Sampras, who apparently keeping his eyes on the wardrobes worn over on the women’s tour, he didn’t understand the fuss about Haas’s shirt either. Sampras said, “There are some interesting outfits out there. Pretty revealing. You see all the curves.”

Supposedly, ATP CEO Mark Miles was a rare proponent of having Haas change his shirt because he believes fans should be able to differentiate between the attire players wear during practice sessions and official matches.

Bah Humbug!

There’s constant yapping about how the women’s game is more interesting than the men’s tour these days and maybe that’s because the ladies are presenting themselves as more interesting personalities, not to mention showing a little cleavage here, a midriff there. So why shouldn’t Haas, a boy with a bod, not show a bit of biceps to fans.