Ostapenko lifts up skirt in angry exchange with Wimbledon umpire over outfit
As Ostapenko prepared with her partner Hsieh Su-wei for their second-round encounter against Marta Kostyuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse, chair umpire Jamie Crowson seemed to call her outfit into question during their warm-up.
Upon being approached by Crowson and exchanging a few words, the Latvian player expressed frustration, throwing her hands out and even lifting her skirt to show that she was sporting green undershorts which conform to the stringent all-white dress code of Wimbledon.
Wimbledon enforces a strict all-white dress code, but did change their rules ahead of the 2023 tournament to allow female players to wear dark undershorts to alleviate a potential source of anxiety when they have their periods.
"We are committed to supporting the players and listening to their feedback as to how they can perform at their best," All England Club Chief Executive Sally Bolton said at the time.
"I'm pleased to confirm that, following consultation with players and representatives of several stakeholder groups, the Committee of Management has taken the decision to update the white clothing rule at Wimbledon.
"This means that from next year, women and girls competing at The Championships will have the option of wearing coloured undershorts if they choose. It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety."
Ostapenko and Hsieh went on to beat Kostyuk and Ruse 5-7 6-2 6-2 and will now take on Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai in the third round on Sunday.
Ostapenko has already been knocked out of the women's singles and mixed doubles events, losing 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 to Brit Sonay Kartal in the first round on Monday. Ostapenko was also eliminated in the second round of the mixed doubles after losing to Taylor Townsend and Evan King.
The 28-year-old is a Grand Slam singles champion, having won the French Open back in 2017 when she defeated Simona Halep 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 in the final. She also reached the final four at Wimbledon in 2018, losing to eventual winner Angelique Kerber in the semi-finals.
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