On Monday, the best tennis players from around the world will converge to compete in Wimbledon. Top seeds like Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will bring their best to the courts in the 136th year of the tournament. Tennis fashion has evolved since women first started competing in the games in 1884: Gone are the tea-time-appropriate ankle-skimming skirts, long-sleeve blouses, and wide-brimmed sun hats, replaced by butt-skimming custom tennis skirts, bathing-suit-like tops, and sleek visors that optimize a player’s game and keep her looking photo-ready. To get in the tennis spirit, take a look back at some vintage shots of ladies looking a bit more demure with their tennis racquets, from Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win Wimbledon, to actress Joan Crawford, who surely never broke a sweat on a tennis court.
