Wimbledon legend’s frilly knickers went up for auction – and fetched over £1,500

Virginia Wade was way ahead of her time when it comes to the practice of profiting from one's panties.

The tennis icon beat Betty Stove in the final of Wimbledon 1977 and remains the last British woman to have lifted the crown at SW19. And what a lift it turned out to be, as Wade attracted mass attention for one picture of her lifting the Wimbledon trophy while slightly exposing her undercarriage in the process.

The knicker-baring snap is hardly as risque as the OnlyFans standards seen today, but that didn't stop Wade raising money through their sale years down the line. The internet has given fans direct channels through which they can make requests of their favourite star athletes, but Wade was wangling funds from used undergarments long ago.

In fact, it was almost four decades later that her 'worn, signed white frilly tennis panties' from that 1977 decider fetched a surprise fee at auction.

READ MORE: Tennis star praises Wimbledon dress code change after wearing 'really cool' outfit

The bloomers in question were originally sold by Wade herself for charity long ago, but they were again put up for sale at a sports memorabilia auction at Ludlow Racecourse in 2015. A tennis enthusiast from New Zealand kindly decided to donate some of their private collection – and the interest in the worn whites was big.

Despite being given a guide price of just £300, Wade's unmentionables ended up selling for more than five times that at £1,600.

Which star athletes undies would get your bid? Let us know in the comments section below.

"We are very pleased with the result," said Ben Jones, consultant at Church Stretton auctioneers Mullocks. "We had two cellphone bidders, and there was quite a bit of interest online – though in the end it came down to the two on the telephone."

Wade, 77, had to fight for every bit of that 1977 title and came from behind to beat Stove 4–6, 6–3, 6–1. The late Queen was on hand to present the gong, which ended up being the last of Wade's three major singles titles, having previously won the U.S. Open (1968) and Australian Open (1972).

As well as being the last British woman to win a singles title at Wimbledon, she's also the last to clinch a crown in all four Grand Slams. Wade never managed to get her hands on the French Open title single-handedly, though she did team up with Margaret Court to win the women's doubles award in 1973.

As a member of British tennis royalty, it's perhaps no surprise a pair of briefs as historic as hers drew such a high purchase price. It may even inspire the likes of Andy Murray to rummage in his hamper and see if any trunks of major significance are still knocking about.

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