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With London in its first week of lockdown, All
England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) officials are weighing up their
limited options.
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.
The French Open last week made the decision to move the
claycourt tournament to Sept. 20-Oct. 4 from its May start
because of the outbreak.
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.
Switching to a later time in the year is even less likely as
Wimbledon has only two covered courts and elite outdoor
grasscourt 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."
(Additional reporting by Zoran Milosavljevic; Editing by Ed
Osmond)
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