Wimbledon 2021 organisers face flak for embarrassing 25-year-old player; here's how

After COVID-19 forced it to shut its doors for the first time since the Second World War, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is once again set to welcome visitors to the Wimbledon 2021 Championships. However, with its return, the Slam also brings back into view its rather traditional set of rules, including the one it has become most known for - the all-white clothes. With the UK coronavirus cases slightly on the rise again, the Championships have already garnered some anger from the British public for announcing that it will entertain a full house during its two finals events in July.

Dutch player Indy de Vroome called out on absurd clothing fault at Wimbledon

Playing a first-round qualification match at the Wimbledon 2021, Dutch tennis player Indy de Vroome became part of an exclusive group of players who have been called out on their "inappropriate clothing" at the Slam. The World No. 206 had a bit of a dust-up with the match referee who came on to the court in the middle of the match to inform Vroome that her cap did not meet the requirements of Wimbledon's official dress code. 

Wimbledon’s official dress code states that “Caps (including the underbill), headbands, bandannas, wristbands and socks must be completely white except for a single trim of colour no wider than one centimetre". The offending piece in Vroome's attire was the black underside of her otherwise white visor. While she ended the match in question with a 6-2, 6-2 win, de Vroome fell to fourth-seeded Anna Kalinskaya, 6-3, 6-2 in her second qualifying match. Here are some fan reactions to the incident:

Wimbledon prize money

An article on the WTA website lists the Wimbledon prize money for 2021 as follows: 

Winner: £1,700,000
Finalist: £900,000
Semifinalist: £465,000
Quarterfinalist: £300,000
Fourth Round: £181,000
Third Round: £115,0000
Second Round: £75,000
First Round: £48,000

Wimbledon 2021 dates

Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year, will begin on June 28, 2021. The tournament will take place at its long-time location, at the iconic All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. The event will feature a fairly thinned down Men's singles draw, with Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem pulling out of the Slam for various reasons. Novak Djokovic will be the top seed while Roger Federer will also be in the mix. Daniil Medvedev (2) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (3) will also be looking to take another shot at a Grand Slam final, and perhaps a win at the prestigious event.

Barring World No.2 Naomi Osaka - who has pulled out from Wimbledon 2021 - all the Women's top seeds, are set to make it to the tournament this summer. Ash Barty will be the top seed while Simona Halep, seeded second, will be the defending champion. With the flux in the Women's competition, it will be hard to predict just who will end up as the winner this season, but all eyes will be on Serena Williams, who is still in the race to try and equal Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slam titles. The Wimbledon singles finals will take place on June 10 and 11.

Image Credits: Indy de Vroome Instagram