Time running out for Wimbledon amid virus crisis
With London in its first week of lockdown over coronavirus outbreak, All England Lawn Tennis Club officials are weighing up their limited options.
This year’s Wimbledon Championships have so far survived the cull of the world’s most prestigious sporting events due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it seems only a matter of time before they are postponed or cancelled.
With London in its first week of lockdown, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) officials are weighing up their limited options.
The AELTC is continuing a detailed evaluation of all scenarios for The Championships 2020, including postponement and cancellation, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.https://t.co/BjlPiyuTtf
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) March 25, 2020
Postponement likely
The ‘build’ for the June 29-July 12 championships is supposed to start in little over a month but it seems increasingly likely Wimbledon will be forced to miss a year for the first time since 1945.
“The AELTC has been contingency planning since January, working closely with the UK government and public health authorities to follow their advice and understand the likely impact of Covid-19 and the government’s emergency measures on The Championships, and our thoughts are with all those affected by this crisis at this time,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Based on the advice we have received from the public health authorities, the very short window available to us to stage The Championships due to the nature of our surface suggests that postponement is not without significant risk and difficulty,” it added.
The AELTC said playing behind closed doors was not an option.
The Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam, was completed before the coronavirus crisis exploded to virtually shut down world sport, including the men’s ATP Tour and women’s WTA Tour.
It took four hours and five sets for Novak Djokovic to overcome Dominic Thiem and win title No.8 - relive all the best matches with our extended highlights 👉 https://t.co/Y70uaRCx3i#AusOpen | #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/SkjFMEvKT2
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 11, 2020
The French Open last week made the decision to move the clay court tournament to September 20 to October 4 from its May start because of the outbreak.
The current confinement measures have made it impossible for us to continue with the dates originally planned. More informations : https://t.co/PEITQaR6j5#RolandGarros
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) March 17, 2020
While the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday potentially opened a two-week slot in the calendar in July/August, it would appear unlikely Wimbledon would use it.
To safeguard the health of the athletes and everyone involved in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) March 24, 2020
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will now take place no later than summer 2021.
Switching to a later time in the year is even less likely as Wimbledon has only two covered courts and elite outdoor grass court tennis is not feasible past late summer.
Wimbledon said it is communicating closely with the LTA, and with the ATP, WTA, ITF and the other Grand Slams.
But a cancellation looks increasingly likely.
“The unprecedented challenge presented by the Covid-19 crisis continues to affect our way of life in ways that we could not have imagined,” AELTC chief executive Richard Lewis said.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected in the UK and around the world. The single most important consideration is one of public health, and we are determined to act responsibly through the decisions we make.”