By Hana Ayoub

Opinions Writer

 Women not only have to worry about their performance on the courts, but about their appearances too. Strict dress codes and violations add an extra level of stress that men do not have to worry about. This is demonstrated in the recent events of the U.S. Open.

 On Aug. 28th, professional tennis player Alize Cornet realized her shirt was on backwards.The U.S. Open Tennis Tournament has very specific guidelines for their dress codes, but as of the 2018 tournament, they have gone too far.

 After a quick wardrobe change off the court, she was penalized for exposing her sports bra. Immediate uproar followed, while in a different match of the same tournament, professional male tennis player, Djoker Nole, sat courtside for 10 minutes completely shirtless, and was not penalized.

 Their official player rulebook states, “for Tournament matches all players will be expected to dress and present themselves in a professional manner.”

 The problem here is that only one of the two acts were considered a misconduct.

 When Kayla Tadewosian, a CSU Bakersfield freshman on the softball team, was asked her thoughts on the penalty, she said that she disagreed with the call.

 “If you’re going to give one person a penalty, give the other one or just don’t give it out.”

 As women, we are not asking to be completely exempt from penalties if they are valid., however we are asking that they are extended equally and fairly to men and women.

 On another court, Serena Williams, one of the top ranking female tennis players in the U.S, was told by the French Tennis Federation that her bodysuit, which she was wearing to prevent blood clots post pregnancy, was disrespectful to the game, and her outfit was banned.

 Maddie Cosgrove, a junior majoring in kinesiology and swimmer CSUB, said that it was unfair to Williams, and to women in general, because only women have to deal with post pregnancy effects.

 “Health should be a priority for any player,” said Cosgrove.

 Ashley Olvera, a CSUB Freshman on the cheer team, said “a uniform is a uniform. If it was for medical needs, she should have been able to wear it and not been penalized.”

 At what point is enough enough? Williams was told that her attire was disrespectful to the game by French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli, but the French Tennis Federation is telling women all over the world that a sports game is more important than their physical health.

  Dress code violations happen not only on the professional courts, but on all levels. Cosgrove has been competing in swim for 12 years and recalls that in high school she had a male coach; however, a female coach from another team had to go and explain the dress code for the girls..  “if another parent thought your suit was too revealing and complained to a referee, you were automatically disqualified from the meet”, said Cosgrove. She said Cornet should not have been penalized for showing her sports bra.

 Double standards both on and off the court need to be put to an end.

 We need to settle this score now. Game. Set. Match.