Wimbledon will no longer use the words “Miss” or “Mrs” when etching the names of its women champions on honor boards.
It is the same practice that has been carried out for men and will be introduced for the first time in an attempt to modernize the tournament.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has used these titles just for women.
Last year’s Wimbledon Champion, Ash Barty, was referred to as “Miss A. Barty” whereas Novak Djokovic, after winning the men’s draw went on the board as “N. Djokovic”.
In 2019, organizers did away with the use of honorifics when announcing scores in women’s matches but the two events have continued to be called “gentlemen’s singles” and “ladies’ singles”.
The change will also put an end to married women being identified by both the initials and surnames of their husbands.
It will certainly be heralded in the sporting firmament as progress for gender equality, especially from an event that has remained stringent about dos and don’ts more than any other.
On the other hand, Wimbledon removing titles from its honor boards can come across as a move to garner some positive mouth of word ahead of the tournament.
Their decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players has not gone down the way they expected.
The grasscourt major has already been stripped of ranking points by the ATP and WTA because of their decision and may not attract the biggest name in sport because of its exhibition status.
