Playing on the professional tennis circuit surely must work up an appetite, and at Wimbledon, the players there are allotted nearly $110 a day for fare to fill their grumbling tummies. Some have apparently been using their food allowance to the max, however, and a warning has now been issued, with an emailed request from the All England Club to all players and coaches (who receive $55 a day) to be more "judicious" in how they use their sustenance stipend, reports the Guardian.
All those who receive the special card giving access to their per diem can use it at two local restaurants, two sandwich bars, and two coffee shops. The players and coaches aren't allowed to put the funds toward buying alcohol. Still, some have been maxing out their daily allotment—including one coach who apparently walked out of one of the eateries with 27 probiotic yogurt drinks. "After one coach was spotted taking it a bit too far, the All England Club stepped in to ask everyone to be sensible," one source tells the Sun.
It appears to be less about the money outlaid and more about preventing food shortages, as the funds for the food allowances have already been accounted for budget-wise. The Australian Open went a step further than a generous per diem in 2016, offering unlimited food to players, but that experiment went awry when participants reportedly exploited the system. That free-for-all ended up getting nixed. "You're sitting in these sushi lines and guys are taking food for the road, they're getting food for everyone in their family," American doubles pro Mike Bryan told the Wall Street Journal at the time. "Guys are grabbing all the chips, just clearing it out." (More Wimbledon stories.)
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