{ "id": 8805, "date": "2021-09-28T15:25:17", "date_gmt": "2021-09-28T13:25:17", "guid": { "rendered": "https:\/\/athletamag.com\/?p=8805" }, "modified": "2026-04-22T09:08:26", "modified_gmt": "2026-04-22T07:08:26", "slug": "le-donne-che-hanno-cambiato-lestetica-del-tennis", "status": "publish", "type": "post", "link": "https:\/\/athletamag.com\/en\/le-donne-che-hanno-cambiato-lestetica-del-tennis\/", "title": { "rendered": "The women who changed the aesthetics of tennis" }, "content": { "rendered": "

From Victorian dresses to the Williams sisters. Who revolutionized women\u2019s tennis?<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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Corsets, busts, skirts that touched the ground.\u00a0Women\u2019s tennis in the Victorian era left no room for creativity and freedom of expression.<\/strong>\u00a0However, time has radically changed the idea of women\u2019s tennis outfits.\u00a0This change is the result of unique moments, of some figures who have bravely decided to break social and visual taboos, trampling the grass of Wimbledon and the courts of the Slams dressed in novelty, rebellion, evolution.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here we have decided to list some of the women capable of changing the imaginary of sportswear, often running into criticism and boycotts:\u00a0idealists driven by a feminist wind, by a progressive current. Athletes who have raised their sport not only with the racket.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Suzanne Lenglen<\/h3>\n

The French \u2018Divine\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0who dominated tennis in the 1920s, winning 25 Grand Slam titles, one Olympic gold medal in Antwerp and losing only 7 career games.\u00a0She was the first female tennis celebrity. She was an inexhaustible magnet of attention for the French and international press:<\/strong>\u00a0her revolutionary game, her passion for the glamorous world and the moody intensity shown on the court, led the large masses to follow women\u2019s tennis.<\/p>\n

In particular,\u00a0in the grand white gala of Wimbledon 1920, Lenglen surprised organizers and spectators with a dress that left the forearms and calves uncovered: an incomprehensible choice for the time.<\/strong>\u00a0At that London tournament, the \u2018Divine\u2019 was also observed drinking brandy at the end of each set.<\/p>\n

She stopped playing when she was just 27:\u00a0\u201cIn the twelve years I was a champion I earned millions of francs, and I spent all the money just to travel and play tournaments. I didn\u2019t earn a cent from my career, from tennis. According to absurd and antiquated ideas, only a rich person can compete at a high level. Does this seem right to you?\u201d,<\/em>\u00a0these were her laconic words.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>