Wimbeldon doesn't have a problem with the hijab, unlike some others in Europe and throughout the world .
Aseel Shaheen of Kuwait will be officiating as a line judge at Wimbledon, proudly sporting her hijab.
"I was worried that they wouldn’t accept me because I wear a hijab, but on the contrary, they really accepted me. London is quite open toward hijab, but maybe it’s not too common around the tennis world. But me wearing the hijab and working on court during a tennis match at Wimbledon is a sign that the world is starting to accept us more," Shaheen told Sport360.
Shaheen first took an officiating course back in 2002. At the time, she didn't know much about tennis but managed to finish third in her class. She formerly officiated at WTA and ATP in Doha. The main challenge she has faced as she pursued her dream was a blatant preference for men over women.
"I kept going. It became a challenge for me because they would always nominate the guys and ignore me," she said.
"I told them I wanted to be an international umpire, I have the qualification and I have the language skills, because I speak good English. So I went to officiating school and I became a white badge in 2011."
As the oldest tennis event in the world, Wimbledon is also widely considered to be the most prestigious tournament for the sport. Thus working as a line judge for the international event is one of the highest positions an umpire can achieve in tennis.
Shaheen's story is especially significant as women wearing the hijab have faced discrimination in sports around the world. Most famously, Qatar's women's basketball team was forced to forfeit the Asian games in 2013 because their headscarves violated the tournament's policy.
Of course, as Shaheen pointed out, being an umpire isn't all rainbows and butterflies. As a judge, she is accustomed to receiving angry remarks from players over calls they don't appreciate. However, it definitely seems that this strong woman can handle the challenge.
