Wimbledon is wrapping up today, and once again I find myself playing catch-up on the traditions I usually highlight at the start of each fortnight. This time, it’s towels. I’ve written before about the iconic legacy of the lush and unmistakably branded rectangles of prestige that the players drape over their shoulders and fans covet from afar. While a Wimbledon title is the ultimate goal, its towels are arguably the most collected (and, as it turns out, stolen) item associated with The Championships.
Wimbledon’s iconic towels are produced by Christy, a UK-based company headquartered in Stockport, Cheshire, which has been the tournament’s official towel supplier since 1988. While the traditional green and purple design remains a fixture each year, Christy also releases a “seasonal” version for each edition of The Championships. For 2024, that limited-edition palette is aqua and sky blue.
Until 2021, Wimbledon reserved the purple and green towels for the men and handed out the “seasonal” version to the women. Now, the towels are no longer considered gender-specific, and players are provided with one of each color scheme as they take the court for each match. Until this year and the publication of an article in the Sunday Times, I had no idea that players were supposed to return them. In fact, many don’t. Players regularly “steal” the towels. In the first week of the tournament this year, about 500 towels each day were not returned. Most of those were undoubtedly claimed by players as keepsakes. A few wound up in the hands of lucky fans after players tossed them into the crowd post-match.
The Wimbledon towel has become its own kind of trophy. For many players, especially those who don’t lift the actual hardware, it might be the only memento they take home from the tournament. It’s hard to blame them. The towels are one of the tournament’s greatest traditions.
- The net gains of Wimbledon stars — stealing 500 towels a day, Dominic Hauschild, The Sunday Times, July 6, 2025.
It was really disgraceful to see how many towels Iga Swiatec stuffed into her bags as she left the court!
Commentators made light of her ‘collection’ but what a terrible example for people watching!
Roger Federer admitted to taking many towels over the years to give as gifts. Lindsay Davenport is on record saying she has a guest bathroom fully stocked with Wimbledon towels she took home with her. Was Iga the only player being “disgraceful” or are you unhappy with any player taking Wimbledon towels with them, even though this has been a common practice for decades? What about throwing towels to the fans? Do fans have more right to a Wiimbeldon towel than the player who competed on court? Perhaps players should bring their own towels so Wimbledon doesn’t bear the enormous expense of providing them to the players and no more disgraceful behavior need be witnessed.