The story of "Waw" shorts and others

The “waw” shorts, as they are fondly referred to, are probably the most talked about pair of shorts at the moment because of their fashion statement. ‘The shorts’ shot to fame after the recently crowned new champion Stan Wawrinka was seen sporting them in the recently concluded final of the French Open against Djokovic.

What further accelerated the popularity was when Wawrinka jokingly attributed his win to the plaid garment. The Swiss player, who had earlier promised to “swim, play tennis and then sleep” in the ‘shorts’ cheerfully displayed it at the press meet following the finals at Roland Garros.

The Swiss No.2 displaying his “waw” shorts during a press conference

Notably, the pair of shorts has been compared to a dishcloth, oven glove and boxers and in lieu of the same Wawrinka observes “I quite like them. Apparently, I’m the only one. They will be in the museum of Roland Garros. You will see my shorts every day if you want.”

Incidentally, Twitter users were quick to grasp upon the popularity of the shorts which ultimately led to two inspired parody accounts, being hosted on the popular networking site. Notwithstanding the above, famous personalities like Salman Rushdie mentioned the ‘waw’ shorts on his microblogging page, as he posted “A grand French Salute to Stan Wawrinka’s magic shorts.(And to him, of course).”

Further, if you really loved the Yonex shorts, then they are available at tennis-warehouse.com in two more colours, black and blue, for the price of Rs. 2688 ($42) with a description which boast as “an elastic waistband with internal drawcord, side pockets, open back pocket, all over plaid design, and an embroidered Yonex logo at the left hem.”

What has to be taken into account at this juncture is that this is not the first time such bold fashion statements have been made in the tennis court. The following are the tennis players, who in the past have caught the attention of the masses courtesy their bold fashion statements.

1. Andre Agassi

Agassi seen sporting his Denims with Neon Spandex

Nike offered the jeans shorts to John McEnroe, but when he laughed at the clothing option, Agassi quickly snagged them and made them his own. For the whole of 1989 Agassi was seen sporting jeans shorts wherever he played.

2. Billie-Jean King

   

   Bille-Jean King with her pair of oversized spectacles

Back on the court, legendary American player Billie King didn’t let a pair of oversized spectacles stop her reaching for success in the late 1960s. Sporting the oversized spectacles, she went on to win the women’s singles title at WImbledon six times, the U.S Open four times, and the Roland Garros tournament once.

3. Anne White

   

   Anne White in her Lycra bodysuit

White, who was playing fifth seed Pam Shriver in the first round at Wimbledon in 1985 on an outer court, warmed up in a tracksuit. When she took the tracksuit off to start play, she revealed that she was wearing a white, one-piece, lycra body suit, which attracted a lot of attention from the crowd and the photographers.

With the match tied at one set all, play was stopped for the day because of bad light, and the umpire, Alan Mills, told her to wear more appropriate clothing the next day. She did so, and lost the third set, but the incident was widely reported. She was later quoted as saying, "I had no idea it would be so controversial."

4. Steffi Graf

   

   Steffi Graf wears a floral skirt during the French Open in 1995

Steffi Graf wasn’t far behind when it came to making fashion statements. This particular incident saw her sporting a floral skirt during the French Open in 1995.

5. Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova in her tuxedo style top in Wimbledon 2008

Russia’s Maria Sharapova had an interesting take on Wimbledon’s “all white” rule when she was seen sporting a tuxedo style top in 2008.