Wimbledon 2020 called off
The coronavirus has wreaked havoc across the world on an unimaginable scale. Sporting events too are either being called off or being rescheduled due to the ongoing pandemic. The latest sporting event to be cancelled this year is Wimbledon, Tennis’s most prestigious competition, which is set to be canceled for the first time after World War II. Sports events around the world have been affected due to the Covid-19 and if the only Grasscourt Grand Slam tournament to be held at the All England Club is canceled, it will completely disrupt the tennis season. The French Open has already been pushed forward, while all competitions have been canceled until 7 June.
Wimbledon was to begin on June 29 where Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep were scheduled to defend their singles title. But this tournament has to be canceled as the world has failed to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected more than 840,000 people worldwide and has killed more than 40,000. Grasscourt tournaments before Wimbledon are also expected to be canceled.
It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.https://t.co/c0QV2ymGAt
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 1, 2020
The organizers had earlier refused to conduct Wimbledon without spectators and postponing the tournament would also cause problems. Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker on Tuesday appealed to the tournament organizers to wait before deciding. Becker tweeted, “I am confident that Wimbledon will wait until the end of April before making a decision.”
The cancellation of Wimbledon would mean multiple-time champions Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Venus Williams could have played their last match at the All England Club. Federer and Serena will be nearly 40 years old by the 2021 championship while Venus will turn 41. Serena, who lost to Halep in the final last year, currently has 23 Grand Slam titles and needs a title to match Margaret Court’s record.
In England, it seems impractical to postpone the tournament due to the need to play on a grasscourt. Placing it later in the summer or before winter would mean the evening would be longer. John Isner, who won the longest-ever match at Wimbledon, said it would be difficult to digest the news of the cancellation of this prestigious competition.
