In the photo: Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, left, and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus both wore long braids at Wimbledon. (photo: Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press) 
More and more female professional tennis players are playing with long plaits. Braids have been a popular presence on the court since the days of Ms. Pierce, Anna Kournikova, and Venus (No. 36) and Serena (No. 27) Williams (late 1990s-early 2000s). But in the last few years, they have become ubiquitous. Even Ms. Sharapova of Russia (No. 4), famous for her sleek on-court pony, sported a braid at a pre-Wimbledon party earlier this summer. (read full article at NY Times)