Clean up your act: A volley from Miss Konta as she joins the war on plastic
JOHANNA Konta battled her way into the second round at Wimbledon yesterday – and burnished her green credentials at the same time.
The British number one beat Russian Natalia Vikhlyantseva in a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 match on court number two.
The 27-year-old’s victory, alongside that of men’s number one Kyle Edmund, means four Britons are now through to the next round.
Their triumphs came as Wimbledon was accused of failing to tackle the UK’s plastic waste crisis by refusing to ban players from using plastic bottles during the tournament.
Pictures emerged showing bundles of bottles lying strewn across courts after being carelessly thrown away by players.
Both Miss Konta and Edmund weighed in on the issue yesterday, criticising the litter and talking of the need for non-plastic bottles.
Miss Konta, who on Monday had been pictured relaxing with her boyfriend Jackson Wade at a cafe in Clapham, said questions about the number of plastic bottles should be addressed to water company Evian, a longterm sponsor of the tournament.
‘I’m a big fan of looking after our planet because we’ve only got one,’ the player said. ‘I think it’s a battle that everyone is facing.’ She revealed that she does not use plastic bottles at home.
Edmund called for players to stop littering and to take more responsibility for their rubbish.
‘It’s no good,’ he said. ‘We’re professional tennis players, we should obviously look after our rubbish. I always try to do the best I can to clean up after myself. It’s just human beings being lazy, knowing someone else will come pick it up.’
Around 230,000 plastic bottles are used at Wimbledon every year. Organisers have said that any left as litter will be recycled, with bins available in the grounds.
Some spectators asked why Wimbledon had not followed the lead of Lord’s cricket ground, which banned plastic bottles this year and sells water only in metal cans.
The Daily Mail has led the campaign to end plastic pollution through its Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign.
Wimbledon has banned plastic straws after 400,000 of them were used last year, replacing them with paper straws.
Bosses have also installed water bottle refilling stations across the site in the hope of encouraging more. A tournament spokesman said Evian had committed to recycling schemes.
British number two Heather Watson crashed out of Wimbledon last night, losing 6-4, 7-5 to Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.