Wimbledon chiefs have urged players competing at this year’s tournament to clamp down on their food and drink spending, with one coach spotted sneaking away with 27 yoghurts. The playing quota are given a £90 allowance to spend on refreshments whilst at the tournament.
According to i news , tournament officials have emailed competitors asking them to show restraint when spending their food and drink expenses. The £90 is given to each player each day to spend in and around the SW19 restaurants.
The system is put in place so competitors do not have to worry about bringing their own, or sourcing snacks for themselves, especially on the day of a game.
As well as the playing quota, once coaches for each player are also allocated half the amount to fuel themselves, however it seems tournament bosses are less than impressed with how the expenses are being used. A report from the I suggests players and coaches have been using their expenses as a target amount, with the playing staff spending the budget sometimes carelessly.
As a result, all those given a food and drink tariff have been asked to be more 'judicious' when using their allowance, in order to stop players spending their expenses unnecessarily. Despite the concerns it is understood that Wimbledon bosses will not be reviewing the food and drink allowances.
A source from The All England Tennis Club has insisted that the email was not sent across to players to implement any cost cutting measures, with the UK in the midst of the ongoing cost of living crisis. This is not the first time a Grand Slam tournament has had problems with player food and drink intake.
As a result, the Australian Open trialled a measure where the playing staff were entitled to free food, drink and refreshments throughout the tournament. However, the bottomless gesture was soon scrapped after players exploited the gesture.
