The All England Tennis Club (AELTC) has outlined their plans for Wimbledon with the odds of the grand slam being held looking increasingly unlikely.
There have been doubts surrounding the grass-court grand slam due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has suspended both the WTA and ATP Tours until June at the very earliest. Furthermore the UK is currently in a lockdown with experts believing the peak of the virus will hit the country between May and June. The general public is only allowed to leave their house under certain conditions such as essential food shopping or going to work if they can’t work from home.
“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.” A statement reads.
One potential solution to the grand slam has also been officially ruled out. Raising the speculation that the grand slam will not go ahead for the first time since the second world war. Organisers said they have no intention of playing the event behind closed doors. Last year 500,397 people attended the tournament over a 13-day period.
In relation to potentially suspending the event, the AELTC says such a move posed is ‘not without significant risk and difficulty.’ It had been previously suggested that the event can take place during what would have been the Tokyo Olympics (24th July – 9th August). Although concerns have been raised about the short window where the event can be staged due to the surface.
“The unprecedented challenge presented by the COVID-19 crisis continues to affect our way of life in ways that we could not have imagined, and our thoughts are with all those affected in the UK and around the world.” AELTC Chairman Richard Lewis said in a statement.
“The single most important consideration is one of public health, and we are determined to act responsibly through the decisions we make. We are working hard to bring certainty to our plans for 2020 and have convened an emergency meeting of the AELTC Main Board for next week, at which a decision will be made.”
This year’s French Open has already been suspended until the last week of September due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Meaning players face the prospect of playing two grand slams within five weeks. The US Open is set to finish seven days before Roland Garros.
Since its creation in 1877, Wimbledon has been cancelled a total of 10 times before. All of which happened during the first world war (1915-1918) and second (1940-1945).
