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[ad_1] CNN  —  Clothes aren’t just items to keep you warm or cool – they also indicate status, showcase defiance, and even alleviate anxieties. For tennis legend Billie Jean King , clothes allow female tennis players to express their individuality through colors and prints – a right she and the embryonic Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) fought for in the 1970s when white was ubiquitous as the sport’s color. Wimbledon still employs this rigid all-white dress code – first implemented to camouflage sweat stains. These days it also helps the SW19 grand slam retain a sense of uniqueness in relation to the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open, but arguably it also curtails players’ individuality. More pressingly, for players menstruating it creates anxieties as to whether blood is visible on white clothes. “My generation, we always worried because we wore all...

[ad_1] LONDON: Fifty years after playing a leading role in the revolutionary foundation of the Women's Tennis Association, Billie Jean King remains a "visionary" with a message for the next generation. Fuelled by her desire to ensure female players were paid the same prize money as their male counterparts, King was the catalyst behind the WTA's birth at a London hotel in 1973. Now 79, King, a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion, remains fiercely committed to the cause of equality, while also keeping a close eye on trends that affect the modern player. And, on her return to the Gloucester Hotel on Friday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the WTA, the American was keen to pass on her wisdom to the young stars who are the future of women's tennis. Female players including Naomi Osaka , Paula Badosa and Amanda Anisimova have highlighted their struggles with mental health issues on the tennis circuit, a high-pressure environment that often leaves compet...