Why is there a pineapple on the Wimbledon men’s trophy?

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will go head-to-head in the men’s Wimbledon final today.

Djokovic will be looking to win his fifth Wimbledon title in a row when he faces the Spaniard, but fans may notice something unusual on top of the trophy.

Alcaraz will be looking to win his first title against the Serbian. The Spaniard comes into the clash after sealing a stunning 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory in the semi-final against Daniil Medvedev. 

As for Djokovic, the 23-time Grand Slam winner reached his fifth final in a row after defeating Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6. 

Mail Sport breaks down why there is a pineapple on top of the Wimbledon trophy.

Why is there a pineapple on the Wimbledon trophy?

The tournament first began in 1877. Pineapples were considered as a rare and exotic fruit.

Christopher Columbus was the first person to bring a pineapple back to Europe from one of his expeditions in 1492. 

It wasn’t until the 20th century that the fruit became popular in Europe.

A spokesperson for the Wimbledon Museum revealed that being presented with the fruit at a feast was considered a major honour. 

Therefore, the All England Club believed that a pineapple deserved to belong at the top of the trophy. 

‘Although Christopher Columbus brought a pineapple back from his 1492 expedition to the New World pineapples remained expensive to import to, or grow in, western Europe, until commercial production began in Hawaii in the early 1900s. Serving them was thus an indication of high status,’ a spokesperson said.

‘The trophy is made of silver gilt, stands 18 inches (46cm) high, and is inscribed: ‘The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World’. 

‘The names of all champions since the first, Spencer Gore in 1877, are engraved on the trophy, though a lack of space means champions since 2009 are commemorated on a black plinth with a silver ornamented band that now accompanies the cup. Since 1949 all champions have received a replica of the trophy to keep.’ 

What is the prize money?

This year’s winner is set to pocket £2,350,000 ($2.9m), while the runner up will take home £1,175,000 ($1.49m). 

The total prize money across the men’s and women’s singles tournaments is £32,154,000 – which is a record for the historic competition.

It sees an increase of 10.9 per cent from last year, with the total amount set to be equally shared across the men’s and women’s tournaments.

The official prize pot for this year’s tournament is as follows:

First Round 

Second Round

Third Round 

Fourth Round

Quarter-Finalists

Semi-Finalists

Runner-up

Winner

How to watch

Today’s coverage will begin on BBC Two and is due to get underway at 1pm.

Fans will be able to watch all of this year’s action live on BBC. All of the matches will also be streamed on BBC iPlayer.

For those who miss anything, fans will be able to catch up via ‘Today at Wimbledon’ every day from 9pm during the tournament.

ESPN will also be showing live coverage of all of this year’s action for those watching in the States.

Mail Sport will be providing live coverage of the Wimbledon men’s final so you can keep up to date with all the action here.