Wimbledon Warns Players To Cut Down On Free Food After Coach Buys 27 Yoghurts With Allowance

Wimbledon players and officials have copped some strife after they were told to stop buying unnecessary food with their daily allowance. 

The All England Club grants players $160 (£90) and coaches $80 (£45) for food and drink from local cafes and stands each day.

And well, one coach most certainly has taken the piss, buying 27 bottles of probiotic yoghurt at once in order to get the most out of their allowance. 

Julia Fateyeva / Alamy

The i reported that Wimbledon wasn’t too happy with the players and coaches trying to get as much out of their spending money as possible, sending them an email to be a little more lenient with their spending.

They made note that the price cap, is exactly that, a cap, not a target. 

A source told The Sun: “Each player and coach gets an allocated amount each day so everyone wants to use the full amount to get their money's worth.

“But after one coach was spotted taking it a bit too far, the All England Club stepped in to ask everyone to be sensible.

“Bosses were becoming concerned that players were clearing out the fridges before going home.

“An email went round to all players reminding them to be judicious.”

The players use electronic tags to go to a variety of places near Centre Court.

There are six different outlets available to the players and staff, two coffee shops, two sandwich bars, and two restaurants - some of which are reportedly quite pricey. 

According to the Daily Mail, a three-course meal at the Wingfield restaurant on the grounds cost more than the allowance itself, a hefty $165 (£95).

There are cheaper options, however, still quite expensive considering. Sausage rolls and sandwiches are available for $7 (£4) and sushi costs around $14 (£8). 

The sushi was of course Kyrgios approved, with the Australian deciding to turn up to the post-first-round press conference scoffing down a plate in between questions.

The i reports that Wimbledon isn’t looking to change the amount allocated to players despite the apparent abuse of the system. 

But perhaps 27 yoghurts isn’t the best use of funds.

Topics: Tennis, Wimbledon

Jayden Collins

Jayden Collins is a Journalist at SPORTbible. He has worked across multiple media platforms in areas such as sport, music, pop culture, entertainment and politics. He is part of the editorial team for LADbible Australia.