At this year’s Wimbledon Championships, a notable shortage of the event’s signature towels has emerged due to a significant number being taken by players. Tournament organizers had prepared 7,000 of the £40 cotton towels to meet the demands of the event, but during the first six days, 3,789 towels were distributed while only 2,745 were returned, resulting in 1,044 towels missing.

A special limited-edition red towel, dubbed the “strawberry towel,” has been especially popular among players. The missing towels have led to increased attention on athletes who have been spotted taking them from the grounds. Among them, women's singles champion Iga Swiatek, who was eliminated in the third round this year by Alexandra Eala, has been dubbed the “towel thief” after videos showed her collecting multiple towels and placing them in her bag.

Swiatek addressed the situation in a lighthearted manner, stating that she often gives the towels to family, friends, and charities in addition to keeping some for her own collection. She jokingly remarked that she might “steal more” following the public’s reaction to her actions.

This practice of taking Wimbledon towels is not unprecedented. Tennis legends Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have previously acknowledged their own collections of the towels taken from the tournament. Federer mentioned that he has amassed a large supply of the towels, which he uses as gifts. Djokovic has noted that he even travels with an extra suitcase to accommodate the towels he collects, which he shares with people back home.

Organizers have not yet commented on whether any new measures will be implemented to prevent players from removing the towels from the premises. The situation highlights the high demand for Wimbledon memorabilia and the challenges in managing tournament resources amid the traditions and habits of top players.