AGENCIES, London: As the COVID-19 pandemic hits Europe resulting in cancellation or postponing of sporting events including French Open that was supposed to run from from May to September, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) on Wednesday said it is evaluating all scenarios, including a postponement or cancellation of Wimbledon 2020 in the wake of the virus outbreak.
Wimbledon 2020 is scheduled to be played between June 29 and July 12.
Given the grim situation in UK, where a total lockdown has been enforced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, AELTC said it will host an emergency meeting of its Board members as early as next week where it would consult the ATP, WTA, the ITF and other Grand Slam set-ups.
AETC has also ruled out hosting Wimbledon 2020 behind closed doors and said a postponement seems difficult, given the nature of the grass surface used at the prestigious Grand Slam tournament.
The club in a statement on Wednesday confirmed that “it is continuing a detailed evaluation of all scenarios for The Championships 2020, including postponement and cancellation, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak”.
The club also stated that they have a very short window available to stage the Championships “due to the nature of our surface suggests that postponement is not without significant risk and difficulty”.
