New Wimbledon plan: Fans to pay £5 for water refills

Starting this year, Wimbledon will charge fans £5 for water after requests to fine players. A new plan by Evian will allow attendees at the third Grand Slam of the year to purchase a QR code that they can place on their reusable personal bottles and fill them at various water stations located throughout the All England Club.

The Evian QR code refill stations could be implemented at other major events if successful, depending on the demand during the two weeks of Wimbledon, where around 500,000 fans are expected to attend.

This will apply to fans who choose to bring their own reusable bottle, although attendees can also purchase tournament-themed Evian stainless steel bottles for £25, which will include QR code refills. A 750 ml plastic bottle will cost £2.95 following criticism of single-use plastic bottles.

Tap water will remain free for fans, although Evian will be testing their new system to see if there is enough demand for this way of consuming water. Wimbledon organizers aim to reduce their operational emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2030: “The case for action has never been stronger.” It remains to be seen how fans will react and if they will be willing to pay £5 for refillable water.

Former Wimbledon junior champion Laura Robson commented that tennis faces broader issues than the use of single-use plastics, such as the constant travel of the entire ATP and WTA Tour: “We’re travelling every week,” Robson explained in 2022. “Usually on a plane – there’s hardly any opportunities to use other forms of transport – and then you get to a big tournament like this. And you know, there’s a fleet of Land Rovers, which are lovely, but not necessarily that environmentally friendly.”