Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Wimbledon, Tennis, Novak Djokovic
Ryan Sidle
The price for food and drink at Wimbledon has been discovered and fans can expect to pay nearly a tenner for a beer or Pimms.
On Monday the gates of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club were opened up for their annual fortnight of world class tennis action.
Wimbledon got underway with play on the outside courts at 11 am and on centre at 1.30 pm, with reigning champion Novak Djokovic getting things underway on the iconic court.
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Fans were concerned by last week's draw for the tournament because one side of the women's singles draw is a lot stronger than the other one.
World number one Iga Swiatek was at the centre of that controversy and the Polish star got through her first round match pretty easily on the opening day.
The 22-year-old saw off Lin Zhu 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour and 20 minutes in the opening match on Court One and will play either the world number 64 or 84 next up.
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It's not just about the players who turn up at SW19 over the next couple of weeks but also the fans taking in some of the world class sport on offer.
Wimbledon is well known for its food based traditions and they'll be plenty of strawberries and cream eaten and Pimms drunk.
Fans have learnt exactly how much they'll be paying this year with a 250ml can of Pimms or a 330ml bottle of Stella costing £9.70.
What's more is the fact that a little pot of fruit and cream will cost £2.50.
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Fans will not be as entertained at this year's event as they were 12 months ago, after Nick Kyrgios had to pull out of the tournament on the eve of it starting.
The Australian made his first final of a singles event at a Grand Slam at last year's Wimbledon, before losing to Djokovic in a final.
It's not just the fans who will miss out but also the bars, with Kyrgios having previously said he wanted a beer whilst waiting to play a match.
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He would be one of the few people who could afford a couple of rounds thanks to his winnings in making the final last year.
In a statement to SPORTbible, the All England club said: "Inflation across the food and drink sector is clearly a significant challenge nationwide. As a result, some prices have increased this year. However, we continue to work hard to ensure we are using the best British and seasonal produce and have a range of products that suit all budgets.
"The price of strawberries has remained fixed at £2.50 since 2010. We also remain one of the few sporting events to allow guests to bring in their own food and drink and we have 95 refillable water points across the site.
"More than 80% of tickets available through the Wimbledon Public Ballot and the Queue have been held at 2022 price levels.
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"We want to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to experience The Championships. We are very conscious of the current economic climate and have therefore made every effort to absorb most of the increased costs of staging the event."