Sponsor still courting controversy
“I didn’t feel comfortable showing that much,” Lisicki said, according to the New York Times.
“I tried it on but didn’t feel comfortable showing that much. For me, the most important thing is to feel comfortable and not to think about anything.”
Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, who was knocked out in qualifying, said the dress interfered with her court movement.
“When I was serving, it was coming up, and I felt like the dress was just everywhere,” Peterson said.
The Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecka decided to wear leggings underneath the dress during her Wimbledon preparations.
Katie Boulter, another qualifying casualty, wore the Premier Slam with a headband tied around her waist.
The most notable criticism came from Scottish tennis coach Judy Murray — the mother of World No 2 Andy — who said she expected Nike to make immediate alterations to the dress.
“The important thing for any clothing manufacturer who is sponsoring top players is to make sure that the clothing is functional for the job in hand,” Murray said.
“So I’m sure that Nike will be taking steps to address it. “Because anything that is not functional proves distracting to the players and that’s not in anybody’s interests.”
Despite this, Bouchard said she actually enjoyed the outfit.
“For me, I love it,” Bouchard told TSN. “It’s nice and short so you can move around and be free with your movements.
“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s funny that people paid a lot of attention to it, but I really think it’s really nice.”
Nike released a statement saying the dresses were not recalled and that the alterations made to them were standard practice.
“The product has not been recalled and we often customise products and make alterations for athletes as they compete,” the statement said.
“We work closely with our athletes to provide them with product that helps them perform and feel their best on the court.
“Despite the traditional aesthetic, the dress features modern design elements such as power pleats and racerback construction, which work in tandem to enable the athlete’s movement.”
World No 1 Serena Williams is also a Nike ambassador, but is wearing her own signature dress during The Championships — the Nike Women’s Premier Wimbledon Serena SW19 Dress.
Despite the Premier Slam dresses causing a backlash among players, the ensembles were approved by the All England Club which decided the revealing dresses comply with Wimbledon’s strict all-white dress code.