No Wimbledon in 2020
The Wimbledon Championships have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the All England Club announced on Wednesday. Wimbledon had been scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12.
The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon or The Championships, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and is regarded by many as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is played on outdoor grass courts, and since 2009 with a retractable roof over Centre Court. Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Since the Australian Open shifted to hardcourt in 1988, Wimbledon is the only major still played on grass, which is widely considered as the classic tennis court.
It is the first time Wimbledon has been canceled since World War II in 1945. It is also the first time since the tournament began in 1877 that the event will not be played during peacetime.
The All England Club had the foresight to take out insurance policies, which will shield them from major losses. They will be able to refund ticket holders, broadcast partners and sponsors – a bill, which, even according to conservative estimates, will top 200 million pounds.
The Lawn Tennis Association will also receive its “annual surplus” of profits. The payment, which effectively funds British tennis’ governing body for the year ahead, was over 40 million pounds in 2018.
In addition, the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women's Tennis Association made a joint announcement that all events at all levels of both professional tours have been canceled through July 13, covering the entire grass-court season. The same decision was made by the International Tennis Federation.
Though the All England Club considered a number of alternatives, including postponement, it decided that cancellation was the best option. While moving Wimbledon into late July or August this year was discussed, not enough sunlight and too much dew at that time of year made any move problematic.
"It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic," - Wimbledon said in a statement on its website.
Next year's event will be held from June 28 to July 11.
Playing the tournament behind closed doors, with no spectators, was ruled out by the club in a statement last week.
The French Open, which was scheduled to be played from May 24 to June 7, announced last month that the event will now be played from September 20 to October 4.
The United States Tennis Association on Wednesday issued a statement saying the US Open is still scheduled to begin August 24 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
We hope that the remaining tennis tournaments will be held this year.
Sources: espn.com ; javelin-sports.co.za