15 July 2023 , 12:55
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Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur was kicked off Centre Court prior to her heartbreaking defeat to Marketa Vondrousova on Saturday.
Jabeur went into the final as the favourite, but despite dominating large periods of the encounter, she lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. The loss marked her second in consecutive years, with her pre-match preparations a sign of what was to come.
As first reported by The BBC, the Tunisian talent went out to warm up wearing all-black, which is against the tennis club’s strict dress policy for participants. Jabeur appeared to be informed that she had to change into the traditionally all-white attire before coming back on court to complete her warm up.
The All England Club’s dress code states: "Competitors must be dressed in suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white* and this applies from the point at which the player enters the court surround."
Chris Evert, working as a pundit for BBC Sport, suggested that Jabeur was dressed in black instead: "And by the way, Ons was wearing all black on Centre Court and they kicked her off. They kicked her off and made her put on white clothes.
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"At Wimbledon you have to wear white! Even in the final of Wimbledon. I thought that was interesting."
The dress rules - which are not replicated at other major tennis tournaments - have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years with many players voicing their displeasure at having to dress in all-white clothing. Fellow BBC pundit John McEnroe added that he too once forgot about the dress code once ahead of a match at the tournament.
A year ago, the SW19 club relented on their rule to a degree by confirming that women are now permitted to wear dark-coloured undershorts should they wish to do so. However, Jabeur appeared to be in breach of the policy with her all-black appearance ahead of the highly anticipated final.
Jabeur booked her place in the final by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set thriller (PA)
The Princess of Wales speaks to officers at Wimbledon ahead of the final. (PA)While Jabeur was being rushed off court to get change, the Princess of Wales arrived at the All England Club, where she will help with the post-game ceremony.
Wearing a pleated green dress, she paid tribute to the tournament with a bow in the signature purple and dark green colours.
Kate chatted with Wimbledon staff including ball girls and ball boys and also told a maintenance manager at Wimbledon he had “saved the day” after fixing a leak in the Court One shop the day before the tennis tournament began.
Kate met Billy Lewis at the championships on Saturday ahead of the ladies’ final. Mr Lewis told the PA news agency he was surprised the princess had been told about his efforts, which saw him save “thousands of pounds worth of merchandise”.
Asked what Kate said to him, Mr Lewis said: “She said I heard you saved the day, in terms of a leak?”
The Princess of Wales look at a coin as she speaks to Philippa George (PA)The Princess of Wales also met Philippa George, who will toss the coin for the Wimbledon women’s singles final. Ms George was nominated as a representative of the Riding For The Disabled charity. Ms George, 27, said after the meeting: “It was so special. She was asking me about my nails and talked to me about how I like horses. She was really happy that I was here… It means so much.
“It is such an honour to be here and being part of all this. I am so grateful to have this opportunity.”
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The Princess of Wales also met representatives from the British Army, London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police during her visit.
Jabeur was looking to become the first woman from her continent to win a Grand Slam, having lost out in last year's final. She said after her semi-final victory over Aryna Sabalenka,: “Hopefully, I can make history not just for Tunisia but for the whole of Africa. I am going all out for it.”
Last year, Jabeur was edged out by Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina in the showpiece despite winning the opening set. She aimed to go one better against unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova in Saturday's clash, with a new name guaranteed to be on the Venus Rosewater Dish after the Centre Court showpiece.
Vondrousova became the first unseeded women's finalist at SW19 since 1963.