Venus Williams forced into mid-match clothes swap after wardrobe code violation warning

TENNIS legend Venus Williams was forced to change clothes in the middle of her first round match at Wimbledon after breaching strict dress rules.

Venus Williams was forced to change in the middle of the match.

ONLY at Wimbledon.

Six-time champion Venus Williams was forced into an embarrassing mid-match clothing swap after she was warned about breaching the tournament’s famous “all white” dress regulations.

The 14-time grand slam champion was reportedly informed by officials during a rain delay that her outfit was in violation of the Wimbledon dress code because the straps on the pink bra she was wearing under her white dress were clearly visible.

It has not yet been confirmed that Williams was spoken to by tournament officials during the rain delay, however, when players were called to return to Wimbledon’s No. 1 court where Venus would eventually win through to the second round with a 7-6 6-4 victory over Belgium’s Elise Mertens, Venus was no longer wearing the pink bra.

She was also wearing an entirely different top.

Much ado about nothing.

Tournament officials have already commented to reporters they will not be discussing the matter in public, but no further action is expected to be taken against the 37-year-old.

Williams’ bra was a clear violation of the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s dress rules which state that “any undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre (10mm)”.

Players are allowed “a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre” on their all-white clothes, but bras are not included as part of the full ensemble.

According to The Telegraph, Williams’ bra straps were initially concealed under her white garment at the start of play, but emerged from under the dress as the game progressed, making them clearly visible to spectators and officials.

Williams declined to speak about the issue in her post-match press conference.

“Yeah, so I don’t want to talk about undergarments,” she said.

“It’s kind of awkward for me. I’ll leave that to you. You can talk about it with your friends. I’m going to pass.”

It was an incredibly difficult day for Venus Williams.

According to The Irish Examiner, Williams was a little more annoyed when asked about her clothes a second time.

“What pink bra? I don’t like talking about bras in press conferences. It’s weird,” Williams said.

Williams is simply the latest star player to fall foul of the Wimbledon dress code regulations.

Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard was also warned about a possible code violation during the 2015 tournament when she wore a visible black bra under her all white dress.

Eugenie Bouchard playing at Wimbledon in 2015

Unfortunately, Williams had much tougher questions to confront during her first-round match press conference than the most strictly enforced dress code in sport.

Williams broke down during the press conference at the main Wimbledon press room after being questioned about her involvement in a car crash last month in Florida which found her at fault.

A 78-year-old passenger in the other vehicle died 13 days later.

Williams wiped tears from her eyes during the press conference.

She shook her head, fiddled with her hair and sat, silently.

It was her first time speaking publicly about the crash following her first match since the incident.

“There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and ...” Williams paused.

“Yeah, I’m completely speechless,” she briefly continued.

“It’s just ... Yeah, I mean, I’m just ...” Then she sat there, silently.

Venus Williams is through to the second round.

Eventually, the moderator seated next to Williams temporarily halted the news conference, allowing Williams to leave the room.

She huddled nearby with her older sister, Isha, before returning. When the proceedings resumed, the moderator asked that the topic of the crash be avoided, saying, “Venus is willing to take a couple more questions about other things. Tennis, perhaps.”

The 10th-seeded Williams’ return to action, and difficulty in addressing the off-court matters with the media — just last week, the police report was released, and a day later, the estate of the man who died sued her.

When she was asked how she was coping mentally, Williams added: “I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. That’s all I can say about it. That’s what I’ve learned.”

She will play China’s Qiang Wang in the second round, scheduled for Wednesday night or Thursday morning (AEDT).