# Can a contender in Wimbledon wear cleats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2001, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518 "2001-06-28T21:02:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/1 "2001-06-28T21:02:00Z")
Well, could they? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/2 "2001-06-28T21:16:56Z")
Only if they wanted to make sure they lost quickly. I don’t see how they would give you a competitive advantage. The grass is pretty short. It’s more like a putting green than a fairway. ---
**Author:** ![xicanorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a88e57/32.png) [@xicanorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xicanorex)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/3 "2001-06-28T21:25:23Z")
Though I did not find any information either way, my guess to why a player and Wimblendon might not want to have usage of cleats are: 1. cleats may give you better traction or “hold” on the ground you are running, there is also drawback that cleats do tend to get “stuck” on the ground you running. If you have ever seen a soccer or american football game, you can see what type of injuries arise from your cleats getting “stuck” in the ground. 2. Holes, holes, holes. After a couple of hours running with your cleats in the ground, that tennis count is not going to be pristine and flat. XicanoreX ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/4 "2001-06-28T22:21:59Z")
When I say ‘cleats’, I mean cleats like the turf sensitive kind that are all the rage on golf courses these days, not those that might be worn by football or baseball players. Gentle, kind cleats. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@Lady\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Ice)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/5 "2001-06-28T22:47:08Z")
Even the gentle cleats would be to much for the folks at Wimbledon. The courts there are so cherished that it takes very special permission to play on them when the tournament isn’t being played. I’ve never seen cleats, but, I do remember a woman tennis player in the 80’s wearing a pair of shoes that had little tiny bumps on them. I can’t remember who. They never caught on. I have heard of some players wearing basketball shoes, they say they get better traction on the grass than regular tennis shoes. ---
**Author:** ![rob\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@rob\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rob_s)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/6 "2001-06-28T23:04:48Z")
Most professional players these days do indeed wear cleated footware for grass court tournaments such as Wimbledon. As already mentioned, the soles of the shoes tend to be slightly pimpled (“nubbins”) which allows a degree of traction without knackering the playing surface. An example of this is the “Adidas Equipment Feather” shoe. Rob. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/7 "2001-06-30T05:27:32Z")
I don’t know if this has been resolved or not yet, but it’s still unclear to me (If this drops outta sight again, I won’t resurrect it). How far, as it were, could I go with cleats? There must be a limit, if they’re even allowed at all, but what is it? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-contender-in-wimbledon-wear-cleats/70518/8 "2001-06-30T06:01:53Z")
This is from the website Thames Ditton Lawn Tennis Club in England. > [@](#): > > To prevent damage to the courts, grass court tennis shoes are ESSENTIAL The soles of grass court shoes have fine ribbing or pimples which help to prevent slip on grass (as worn by professional players). Shoes with ridges or large rims do not provide the same level of performance/safety and are unacceptable because they cut up the surface of a grass court However, the grass court in Newport, RI, which I believe is the only left in the U.S. PROHIBITS the use of grass court shoes except for a few big name professional events.