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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Anita McSorley & Joshua Lees

Wimbledon urges players to 'show restraint' with food spend after coach spotted with 27 yoghurts

Officials at Wimbledon have urged players to clamp down on their food and drink spending after one coach was spotted sneaking away with 27 yoghurts.

Players and coaches can buy food and drink at Wimbledon using their daily allowance. Athletes have £90 (€104) a day to spend at the cafes and food stands, while their coaches are given £45 (€52).

According to i news , tournament officials have emailed competitors asking them to show restraint when spending their food and drink expenses.

READ MORE: Venus Williams had to change bra mid-match after complaints from Wimbledon officials

The system is put in place so competitors don't have to worry about bringing their own, or sourcing snacks for themselves, especially on the day of a game, Mirror UK reports.

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.

June 22, 2022 - Emma Raducanu of Great Britain takes a bite from a banana during her match against Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium in the Women's Singles First Round match during Day One of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

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.

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