WATER refill points were forced to close in the middle of a heatwave at Wimbledon on Friday as the tournament rejected calls to stop fans collapsing by closing the roof.
Official sponsor evian ran out of dispensers as the mercury hit 31C in SW19.
evian is an official partner of Wimbledon[/caption]
Several empty seats appeared in the hottest areas of Centre Court[/caption]
An insider said 50 per cent of supplies had been used on the opening day of the tournament – the hottest in its 147-year history.
The embarrassing blunder saw the company forced to stop selling its new eco-friendly £5 bottles – which thirsty fans could top up all day – and close its stands.
Spectators were still able to access free tap water from more than 100 refill points and buy evian’s red-top bottles in shops.
evian blamed the balmy conditions for a spike in demand for its mineral water.
A spokesperson said: “The exceptionally hot weather, combined with how popular the evian refill system has been with both players and spectators, has resulted in demand being far higher than we have seen in previous years…
“As a result, we’ve had to stop offering evian refill earlier than planned.”
It came as Wimbledon chiefs faced mounting pressure to break tradition and close the Centre Court roof for the finals this weekend.
The much-anticipated semi-final clash between reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz had to be paused twice when two spectators fell ill.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu pose in evian’s VIP suite ahead of the tournament[/caption]
The scorching temperatures in SW19 got too much for one woman who was carried out by staff just 40 minutes into the match.
Minutes later a pensioner became unwell in the stands and was treated by paramedics.
She collapsed again by the stairs as medics tried to stretcher her out.
Dozens of seats were left empty during the second set of the blockbuster showdown, as those sitting in direct sunlight sought shade off the court.
At least eight spectators have fallen ill so far this year – prompting calls for Championship bosses to utilise the £70 million retractable roof in hot weather.
Polish finalist Iga Swiatek, 24, questioned why it cannot be closed after someone in the crowd passed out during her semi-final win over Belinda Bencic on Thursday evening.
She said: “From what I saw and heard on different tournaments, they’re usually not willing to close the roof when it’s not raining, when it’s not a necessity. I’m not sure why.”
The world No4. said she would not object to the roof being shut “if it would help” protect fans.
The clash was paused for nine minutes while the spectator was stretchered out.
It was the third medical incident of the day – after a tussle between Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova was paused twice for the same reason.
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Belarusian ace Sabalenka, 27, declared “London is not ready for this weather” after she stepped in to hand-deliver an ice pack and water to fans struggling in the heat
She added: “It was super hot. I can’t even imagine sitting in one place and the sun just constantly hitting you.”
US star Anisimova, 23, who caused upset by turfing out the world No1, said the heat made the clash “tough”, adding: “I felt like I was getting tired throughout some points of the match.”
Wimbledon’s two show courts have air conditioning systems which maintain optimal conditions when the retractable roofs are closed.
The tech regulates temperature and humidity to ensure the grass court remains suitable for play.
But the roof – which takes around 10 minutes to shut – has never been closed due to hot weather since it was completed in 2009.
Tennis fans are now urging the Club to reconsider the rules.
Former nursing advisor Helen Rushton, 68, who travelled to the tournament from Aberdeenshire with her partner Ewart Dawson, stressed: “If you’ve got the technology there, you might as well use it.”
IT worker Kevin Dawson, 57, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said the roof should be “dual purpose”.
He added: “With the extreme temperatures, you can be sitting there for several hours with the sun pumping down on you.”
His wife Sue, 59, said it would also stop the treatment of fans “delaying matches”
The All England Club said it has significantly increased the number of messages on screens across the grounds to remind guests to seek shade, drink water and take time out of the sun – but stressed they would only close the roof due to rain or darkness as Wimbledon is an outdoor tournament.
