On Thursday evening, Andy Murray’s team had shed tears at his final doubles match with his brother Jamie and by Friday morning the Wimbledon clouds had joined the lament. Pathetic fallacy, climate crisis or just typical British summer? Either way, the morning of day five brought the worst weather of week one, sending visitors trickling, then streaming, to the Wimbledon shop. It was well equipped to receive them, having had a major refurb this year that adds 25% more floor space. Plenty of room for new products too, including a clever piece of upcycling that turns last year’s unused towels into beach bags. Among those checking them out was the Italian doubles player Camilla Rosatello: “We do get a lot of players coming in here for souvenirs,” said a member of staff. “Unfortunately it usually means they’ve gone out of the tournament …”
Roll up for a £5 top-up
Water, water everywhere – and plenty of it to drink. The uncomfortable sight of single-use plastic bottles on court looked out of touch enough for the drinks sponsor Evian to pilot refilling stations under the umpires’ chairs last year. This year it has extended the scheme to spectators and for £5 you can top up your minerals to your heart’s content. A laudable initiative, even if you wonder how it’s going to fare against the 100 free water fountains around the ground.
Strawberries and seaweed
Another new sustainability effort at this year’s Championships concerns its famed strawberries and cream. Same dish, different dressing: in this case, a seaweed-based and 100% biodegradable packaging that won its creators, Notpla, the Earthshot prize. It’s among a raft of decarbonisation efforts the All-England Club has begun this year, including the decision to remove gas cooking from all its kitchens. Meanwhile, the sustainability manager Hattie Park continues to look for new ways to increase biodiversity across the already blooming site – “We’re putting plants anywhere and everywhere we can!”. She has already corralled the British players Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie into helping her build bug hotels on the terrace above the media centre.
