BY ALAN THATCHER
Whatever happened to the clothing rules at major tournaments, designed to prevent players taking to the court in identical colours?
Sorry to have a moan at such an amazing tournament, but I have been shocked to see so many pictures from the World Open featuring players wearing the same colours on court.
The ruling was introduced to make it easier to identify players on TV, and now we have live streaming of so many matches from major events the issue is of primary concern. However, I can’t help spotting several matches where the rules have been ignored.
Now, I know that most squash lovers will have little problem identifying the players, but we should always remember that we are trying to sell the game to a wider public and new TV audiences.
Any little detail that makes the game harder to understand (and lets and strokes make that difficult enough already) should be avoided at all costs.
Squash has come a long way since the days of compulsory all-white clothing, although there are several clubs who still insist on such outdated niceties.
The women’s professional game, in particular, has the ability to package itself in stunning fashion, when, yes, fashion is to the fore.
Most of the leading players enjoy wearing bright, colourful clothing on court. They want to look feminine and attractive while competing in a brutally physical sport.
Most of the images from Rotterdam have proved this result can be achieved.
But, please, let’s enforce a zero-tolerance policy on clashes of colour.
You know it makes sense, especially when we hope to raise the profile of the sport with outstanding showcase events like the World Open.