Clay-Court Challenges: The Grueling Laundry Battle for Tennis Players

Competing on red clay courts, like those at the Paris Olympics, poses a unique challenge for tennis players: keeping their uniforms, especially white socks, clean. Despite professional laundry services, the reddish dust from the crushed bricks used in clay courts proves difficult to remove, demanding special tricks and ample socks from players.

At the Paris Olympics, tennis players face a unique challenge beyond their on-court opponents: the relentless struggle to keep their attire clean while playing on red clay. This surface, made from crushed red bricks, stains everything it touches, making white socks a particular casualty.

Elina Svitolina, a bronze medalist at the Tokyo Games, emphasized the difficulty, noting she travels with 40 pairs of socks during the clay season. Fellow players like American Tommy Paul have even turned the dusty predicament into a quirky part of the game, albeit with occasional frustration.

Despite laundry services provided at tournaments, many athletes resort to personal solutions, such as special powders and soaking techniques, to battle the inevitable clay stains. This longstanding issue, dating back to the 1890s, showcases the bizarre yet accepted nuances of tennis on clay courts.

(With inputs from agencies.)