Are tennis spectators the best-dressed?

As we watch spectators at Wimbledon watch tennis being played in front of them, a query strikes us: does tennis have the best-dressed spectators in sports? Cricket and football attendees at stadiums certainly have their share of natty dressers.

But the sartorially swish are usually tucked away in VIP spaces. Overwhelmingly, non-tennis sports attract the 'normal' tee-shirt and jeans, 'shirt-pant-salwar' crowd. But, in tennis, especially when things go champagne 'n' strawberry 'n' cream, you'd think you're watching people following a ramp walk in a fashion show, not an exchange of a ball in the park.

Tennis is a rich person's sport. But are all tennis fans rich? Unlikely. So, are Wimbledon tickets exorbitant, thereby filtering out a certain kind of outdoor wear? Not really. Centre court tickets over the span of the tournament range from £80 (about ₹8,600) to £255 (about ₹27,400).


A category 1 ticket for Champions League football is ₹690 (about ₹63,300). The explanation lies elsewhere: the size of the arena. In football and cricket, it's stadiumful of people, a large visible majority in cheap seats - and 'cheap' suits. In tennis, the stands hold far smaller crowds.

So, even when there's a Bermudas-clad lad, he's hidden by the posh set - the exact opposite of    the masses in stadiums where the Armani-wearer gets 'drowned out' on our TV sets.