RAFAEL NADAL and Serena Williams will miss out on their beloved fruit and veg from Wimbledon village this summer.
But former champions Novak Djokovic, Venus Williams and Elena Rybakina have all collected their luxury £250 hampers ahead of the famous tournament, hoping they contain the fuel to power them to more glory.
Rafael Nadal was a regular in Bayley & Sage over the years
Bayley & Sage sells luxury deli items and expensive wines
Reigning Wimbledon champions Elena Rybakina and Novak Djokovic have both had £250 hampers collected
For the first time since 1999, neither injured Nadal nor retired Serena will be playing on the lawns of the All England Club.
So that means no visits to Bayley & Sage to pick up their favourite food for Wimbledon fortnight.
Nadal, in particular, was a regular at the fancy deli in the village – just up the road from the site of two of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
Dimitrios works at the shop and was gushing about the Spaniard superstar, who was forced to miss the 2023 Championships after failing to recover from a hip flexor tear.
He told SunSport: “These three weeks are very busy and we have lots of famous people come in.
“Nadal would buy lots of fruit and vegetables, juices. I did not speak to him, I’m too shy and didn’t want to bother him.
“Serena posed for photos – no one asked Nadal but he was friendly and really good, he signed the wall.”
There may be no Nadal or Williams Jr popping in this year, but there is no shortage of top talent stocking up at the boutique grocery store.
Dimi added: “We are doing some hampers. On Saturday I did Novak Djokovic’s hamper, one of his people collected it.
“I was wondering if he will eat it. He loves broccoli. I put lots of gluten-free stuff in, vegetables, fruit, some juices, nuts, lots of berries and just one chocolate to make it look nice.
“I am also doing Rybakina’s – she is a bit cheeky with the chocolate! We also have Venus Williams’ to do.”
Djokovic fan Dimi, who watched his hero beat Nick Kyrgios in last year’s final, is from Greece and says the nice weather and good atmosphere around the village during the tennis reminds him of home.
He has worked at Bayley & Sage for three years and, like many in Wimbledon village, this upcoming fortnight is the busiest but best two weeks of the year.
Dimi concluded: “The only negative thing is that it only lasts for two weeks.”
Serena Williams posed for photos when she headed in for her fruit and veg
Many of the shops embrace the tennis theme
Djokovic headed out for dinner at The Ivy in the week before the tournament
Defending champion Djokovic was pictured heading to the elaborately-decorated The Ivy restaurant for dinner on Wednesday – one of a whole host of celebrities who will eat there during their annual trip to SW19.
Meanwhile, Gail’s bakery along the High Street has served the likes of eight-time champ Roger Federer as well as Grigor Dimitrov’s ex and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger over the years.
Lastly, the Rose & Crown pub is a favourite for those involved at the tennis – and is a strong contender for the annual competition for the best shop front design.
Landlady Nicky is preparing for her 19th Championships and relishes the extra customers, with an average week’s revenue often taken on just one day of tennis action.
She said: “I took over in 2004 so I’ve seen a few changes, two roofs added and a pandemic.
“The years that Andy Murray won were massive and last year to be reopen fully after Covid was great.
“I won’t talk about players who have come in as that’s not fair – plus it’s less so now with social media. We tend to get the people associated with tennis here.
“We show the tennis, we have live music, there are no negatives – maybe if you are a resident but everyone knows what Wimbledon is about.”
Bayley & Sage is a favourite for plenty of tennis stars
Nadal will miss the 2023 event through injury
Nicky is preparing for her 19th Championships as Rose & Crown landlady
The Rose & Crown has been decorated ready for the annual competition
