The Evolution of Tennis Skirts: Balancing Tradition and Practicality in Women's Sports

Just yesterday, the highly anticipated Olympic women's tennis final concluded with Chinese player Zheng Qinwen defeating Croatian player Vekić 2:0. Besides delivering an exciting match, the two athletes' relentless effort in fighting for every point on the court gave us a new understanding of the Olympic spirit. The power of women was vividly showcased at this moment.

In addition to the thrilling match, the tennis skirts worn by the two players also drew attention. It is well known that the history of the tennis skirt is very long, dating back to the first women's tennis championship in 1884. However, back then, the skirts were long and not convenient for the athletes' movements. Brave female athletes continuously shortened the skirts over the years, and eventually, women even began wearing shorts on the court. Today, the International Tennis Federation states that women no longer need to wear tennis skirts during matches, as long as they wear "appropriate tennis attire."

Why hasn't the tennis skirt gradually turned into "tennis shorts"?

When the International Tennis Federation does not mandate that women must wear skirts to compete, why do women still choose to wear tennis skirts? In an interview, athlete Maria Sharapova stated, "I think our sport is very tough, aggressive and physical, and women have a feminine side, so it’s nice to be able to show that through pretty outfits,” I fully agree with her statement. Historically, female athletes have always been at a disadvantage.

In ancient Greece, women were prohibited from participating in sports competitions, and violators were severely punished. Even at the 1900 Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee opposed women's participation, but the host country, France, sent female athletes first, and other countries gradually followed. Since then, the number of women participating in the Olympics has continuously increased, eventually reaching a true 1:1 ratio of male to female athletes at today's Paris Olympics.

Female athletes face no less resistance during training than male athletes. In addition to the difficulties of training itself, female athletes also have to endure physiological challenges, such as menstruation and childbirth, which can put their bodies in a relatively weak state and increase the difficulty of training.

The tennis skirt allows female tennis players to announce their achievements in competitive sports with feminine features as they sweat and win each match.

However, today's tennis skirts are better described as "skorts." During matches, we can see that every participant chooses to wear shorts underneath their skirts, which makes movement easier while maintaining the tradition of wearing tennis skirts. In daily life, women can also consider this style, turning inconvenient skirts into practical and beautiful skorts. After reading this article, would you choose to wear a skort in your daily life？

All Images source from the Internet

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