01 July,2016 08:45 AM IST | | A Correspondent
American sports apparel and equipment manufacturer Nike's Wimbledon outfits for female players has come in for severe criticism from both tennis players and fans
Images of Eugenie Bouchard during her first round match at Wimbledon recently
American sports apparel and equipment manufacturer Nike's Wimbledon outfits for female players has come in for severe criticism from both tennis players and fans. While some players felt it was too skimpy, others felt the pattern hampered their movement on court.
Images of Eugenie Bouchard during her first round match at Wimbledon recently. Pics/Getty Images
Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, who wore the outfit during her opening round match against Magdalena Rybarikova, often found it flying above her waist, causing some fans to label it the 'Marilyn Monroe' dress.
Germany's 2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki, refused to wear the dress, saying: "I tried it on but didn't feel comfortable showing that much. For me, the most important thing is to feel comfortable and not to think about anything."
Images of Eugenie Bouchard during her first round match at Wimbledon recently. Pics/Getty Images
Sweden's Rebecca Peterson, is another complainant. "When I was serving, it was coming up, and I felt like the dress was just everywhere. In general, it's quite simple, the dress, but it was flying everywhere," Peterson said.
World No 2 Andy Murray's mum Judy was also critical of the outfit. "The important thing for any clothing manufacturer, who is sponsoring top players, is to make sure that the clothing is functional for the job at hand. So, I'm sure they (apparel manufacturer) will take steps to address it because anything that is not functional proves distracting to the players and that's not in anybody's interests." Murray told The Telegraph.
Images of Eugenie Bouchard during her first round match at Wimbledon recently. Pics/Getty Images
Bouchard however, loved her attire. "For me, I love it. It's nice and short, so you can move around and be free with your movements. It's funny that people paid a lot of attention to it, but I really think it's really nice," she said.
Meanwhile, Nike released a statement saying that the dresses featured modern design. "We work closely with our athletes to provide them with product that helps them perform and feel their best on the court. Despite the traditional aesthetic, the dress features modern design elements such as power pleats and racerback construction, which work in tandem to enable the athlete's movement," the statement said.
