Iga Swiatek proudly lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish as a first-time Wimbledon champion, before being informed that she cannot take the trophy home. The Polish star defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the most one-sided SW19 final in the Open Era, but had only a few moments to celebrate with the iconic piece of silverware.
She found out the hard way that the trophy is taken away shortly after being handed over to a champion, only to be replaced with a replica three-quarters of the size. This is the case for each Wimbledon winner, with BBC host Clare Balding and pundit Tracy Austin informed by 2013 champion Marion Bartoli.
As Swiatek walked down the hallway towards the south-east balcony, ready to lift it in front of thousands of fans, Balding said: "It looks so lovely that side of the clubhouse and it's just great, you've got your hands on this trophy..."
Austin added: "She keeps looking at it! It's so beautiful to see her smiling."
Bartoli quickly rained on their parade, however, explaining: "But she can't keep it. You only get a replica of it. This one goes back into the trophy gallery. You will have it at the Champions Ball in your hand again, then it will go back to the trophy gallery. You don't go back home with that trophy, there is only one place and it stays in the trophy gallery at Wimbledon."
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Once Swiatek was back inside and took a few photographs with the trophy and her team, she was met by All England Club CEO Sally Bolton, who took the trophy away from her.
Bartoli joked about what the Wimbledon chief said: "'You have to give it back now!' That's it."
Balding then asked the French icon: "So how big is the replica that you get to keep?"
She replied: "Three-quarters size, but all the names are engraved, all the names of the past champions who have graced that court before you are engraved with the replica you can take home. But it's only three-quarters size. But it's still beautiful."
Coco Gauff also discovered the same piece of information a month ago when she won the French Open for the first time in her career.
She made a TikTok video laughing about the size of her replica and informing her followers about the situation.
Then Andy Murray, who did not attend Wimbledon at all this year ahead of Sunday's final, wrote on Instagram: "Surely the tennis majors can do a better job with the replica trophies?! They are tiny."
He did add a laughing emoji in his response to Gauff's complaint.
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