Tennis chiefs say players prefer the healthier Japanese dish to the afternoon tea treat associated with the tournament for nearly 150 years
Wimbledon’s stars are ditching strawberries and cream – for sushi. Tennis players competing in the annual sporting summer showdown at SW19 are swapping the traditional afternoon tea treat for the healthier Japanese option.
Bosses suggest the switch reflects a new generation of health-conscious athletes who favour protein and clean eating to boost performance.
The move was revealed as the All England Lawn and Tennis Club prepares to open an exhibition charting the history of food and drinks at the tournament since it began in 1877.
The club’s food and drinks operations manager Joe Furber said Wimbledon players were ‘big, big fans of sushi’ and ‘absolutely smash through’ the traditional Japanese dish made with vinegared rice and a variety of ingredients such as seafood, vegetables or meat.
During last year’s tournament players went through 6,000 boxes of sushi.
That equates to 60,000 individual pieces eaten over the two weeks. The grub is handmade for them by a team of specialist sushi chefs on duty throughout the tournament.
Joe said: “I think the players are obviously very nutrition focused and very performance focused. So their eating interests and eating trends probably mirror a more kind of nutrition performance lens.
He said at Wimbledon there had always been ‘an awareness of the importance of a balanced diet both from health perception and from a sustainability perception’.
The upcoming exhibition – A Slice of History: Food and Drink at Wimbledon – will ‘nod’ to sushi being ‘an absolute winner’ in the player areas, he added.
Pairing strawberries with cream dates back to Tudor times when Henry VIII’s confidant Thomas Wolsey first served up the combination at court banquets.
According to luxury lifestyle brand The Lords Club the ‘rich cream softened the tartness of the strawberries and created a delicate, indulgent balance perfect for an event defined by elegant restraint and understated luxury’.
Wimbledon’s connection to the dish dates back to the first tournament 148 years ago when just 200 spectators gathered to watch the Gentlemen’s Singles.
At the time strawberries were considered a luxury delicacy only available for a few short weeks during the British summer while the championships were being played.
“In the 19th Century strawberries were synonymous with summer leisure,” The Lords Club’s website states.
“They were in season during the tournament and considered the perfect refreshment for a garden party or sporting afternoon.
“Their vibrant colour also looked exquisite against Wimbledon’s lush green laws and players’ all-white attire – no accident in a sport obsessed with tradition and presentation.
“Strawberries with cream became not just a dessert but a statement of refinement – simple, fresh and dignified.”
More than 190,000 servings are eaten during the tournament each year.
Wimbledon strawberries are picked fresh every morning from Kent, hand-selected for size and sweetness and served with a ‘precise dollop of thick cream’.
“Even the measurements remain carefully considered – 10 strawberries per portion is standard,” according to The Lords Club.
“It’s a taste of heritage, a nod to British formality and a reminder that some traditions simply never go out of style,” it added.