Iga Swiatek (Image Via Getty)Wimbledon’s famous towels have once again become one of the hottest souvenirs at the All England Club, with players reportedly taking home more than 3,000 during the opening week of this year’s Championships. The towels, which are provided to competitors during matches, have become a long-standing tradition for many stars after they leave the court.The craze gained even more attention this year after defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek went viral last year for regularly packing the towels into her bag. While some fans jokingly called her the “towel thief,” the Polish star insisted she was simply collecting special memories from the tournament and sharing them with people close to her.Iga Swiatek and other Wimbledon stars continue popular towel traditionWimbledon players are no longer required to return their towels after matches, allowing them to take the iconic green-and-purple souvenirs home. As a result, demand has continued to grow, with reports by The Times claiming that around 457 towels were taken away each day during the opening six days of this year’s tournament. That adds up to more than 3,000 towels leaving the All England Club in just the first week.Iga Swiatek became one of the most talked-about players because of the tradition. During her successful Wimbledon campaign last year, cameras frequently caught her placing towels into her bag before leaving the court. Ahead of this year’s tournament, Swiatek explained that she no longer had any of the towels she collected last season. She said they had all been passed on to friends, family members and charitable causes after the story gained so much attention. She also joked that she had no problem continuing the tradition because, in her view, the towels are one of the best keepsakes a player can receive from Wimbledon.Swiatek is far from the only player who enjoys taking the towels home. The tradition has become common across both the men’s and women’s tours. According to reports, Wimbledon keeps around 7,000 cotton towels in stock across the two-week tournament to meet the high demand. The towels are produced by Christy and have become one of the most recognisable items associated with the Championships.Fans who want an official Wimbledon towel can buy one from the tournament shop, although it comes with a price tag of around £40. Because of that, spectators often ask players to hand over their towels after matches. Players are usually provided with several towels during each match, but some still receive playful shouts from the crowd when they pack them into their bags instead of giving them away.The tradition has also been embraced by some of tennis’ biggest legends. Roger Federer previously revealed that he has built up a large collection of Wimbledon towels over the years and often gives them away as gifts. Novak Djokovic has also admitted he enjoys collecting them, once joking that he should bring an extra suitcase to London so he has enough space to take more towels home for friends and family.