The 2026 Wimbledon Championships just recently ended. But perhaps outside of the winners and the top moments from one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, there was another thing that has consistently remained a topic of conversation. Those being the towels given to the players participating and used on the courts during the matches.
Yes, these simple, humble towels, that one would not really pay much attention to, are a coveted item during the Wimbledon tournament, to the point where players actually take them back in bucket loads, treating them almost like a ‘heist’ and grinning over their successful loot. But, beyond this amusing bit, these viral towels also have an interesting Indian connection.
What Are The Viral Towels Of Wimbledon?
The “official Wimbledon towel” is the green-and-purple, jacquard-woven terry towel handed to every player during their match, used to mop off sweat between points and drape over the chair during changeovers.
They’re manufactured by Christy, the British heritage towel brand that’s supplied Wimbledon since 1988, and each one takes roughly a week to produce using yarn-dyed jacquard weaving, a technique where the coloured yarn is woven directly into the fabric rather than printed on top, which is why the design shows up identically on both sides.
Design work for a given year’s towel starts as early as 18 months out, with a small team settling on colour palette, pattern, and spec long before a single ball is served.
These towels went viral during the championships, when women’s singles champion Iga Świątek was caught stuffing several of them in her bag last year and even earned the nickname of ‘the towel thief’.
Świątek, speaking with the media, explained that, “Let’s start with the fact that I don’t have any towels left from last year. My friends want it, my family want it. I gave it to some charity because the thing became viral, obviously. So I guess I should steal even more.”
She added, “I will continue that because that’s the best kind of souvenir you can get from a tournament.”
According to The Times, around 7,000 of these cotton towels are kept in stock during the two-week-long tournament. The report even reveals that 457 towels were taken by players every single day in just the first six days of the 2026 Championships.
Even legendary players like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have expressed their love for these towels, with Federer even revealing how he gives them out as gifts to people.
Christy itself has noted that only around 15% of official towels are ever returned each year, with the rest thrown into the crowd, handed to ball kids, or quietly zipped into a player’s bag.
Read More: Prada Falls In Line: Finally Names Collection After India, Kolhapur
What Is Their Indian Connection?
The Indian connection comes in with the fact that the towels, which were once manufactured in Britain, are now being produced in India itself. This was because Christy’s, the brand that makes these towels, was acquired by Indian textile major Welspun Living Limited in 2006.
The manufacturing then shifted to Welspun’s plants in Vapi and Anjar, Gujarat, in 2009, and all subsequent official Wimbledon towels have been woven there ever since.
This essentially means this year’s viral Świątek moment was, quite literally, an Indian-made product going viral on the world’s most prestigious tennis lawn.
Welspun has been fairly candid about what the association means to the company, commenting that, “Our collaboration with Wimbledon for so many years has been a mark of India’s fine production quality on a global scale like this Championship. The Wimbledon towels are not just well-known, they are collectors’ items for tennis fans! It is indeed a matter of pride that these Indian-made products are ethically and eco[-consciously produced].”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Economic Times, CNBCTV18, Hindustan Times
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Wimbledon, Wimbledon 2026, Wimbledon towel, Wimbledon viral tower, wimbledon towel india, wimbledon towel manufacturer, wimbledon towel price, wimbledon towel welspun, wimbledon towel christy
Disclaimer: We do not own any rights or copyrights to the images used; these images have been sourced from Google. If you require credits or wish to request removal, please contact us via email.
