Updated

Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 12

Kate Middleton Presents Wimbledon Trophy to Jannik Sinner After 2nd Straight Title

Updated

Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 12

Kate Middleton Presents Wimbledon Trophy to Jannik Sinner After 2nd Straight Title

Q: Wimbledon has replaced its line judges with AI, but what cherished tradition could be the next to disappear?

The Wimbledon tradition most plausibly at risk is its strict all-white dress code. That is because the tournament has already shown it is willing to modernize even its most iconic customs. Wimbledon replaced human line judges with AI-based electronic line calling from 2024, ending one of the sport’s most recognizable on-court rituals. The searched material also points to the dress code as the next likely area of change, especially because it has already been softened. The all-white rule is one of Wimbledon’s defining symbols, rooted in the Victorian era, but it is no longer untouchable. In 2023, the All England Club relaxed the policy to allow female players to wear dark undershorts, responding to concerns linked to menstruation and player welfare. That change was small, but significant: it showed the club is prepared to adjust tradition when social expectations and athlete needs demand it. There is no firm indication that Wimbledon plans to scrap the dress code entirely. But among its cherished customs, it is the one under the clearest pressure. Unlike royal attendance, grass courts or trophy presentations, the clothing rule has already been publicly challenged and partially revised. So after line judges, the all-white dress code stands out as the tradition most likely to be further diluted, updated or, eventually, partly abandoned.

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 12

Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev on Sunday to win a second consecutive Wimbledon men’s singles title, with Kate Middleton presenting him the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy at Centre Court.
Kate and Prince William watched from the Royal Box with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, drawing a standing ovation on arrival; Prince Louis did not attend.
Kate has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2016 and had already presented the women’s trophy to Linda Noskova a day earlier.
George and Charlotte have become regular Wimbledon attendees, while last year’s final marked one of Kate’s first major public appearances after announcing cancer treatment.