LONDON: The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELT) will meet next week to take a decision on whether this year’s Wimbledon Championships will be postponed or canceled due to coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s could be postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the said in a statement on Wednesday. The AELT will will meet next week to take a decision.
The June 29-July 12 event will not be played behind closed doors and postponing the only Grand Slam grass court event until later in the year “is not without significant risk and difficulty”, the AELTC said in a statement.
“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,” chief executive Richard Lewis said.
“The single most important consideration is one of public health, and we are determined to act responsibly through the decisions we make.
“An emergency meeting of the AELTC Main Board is scheduled for next week, and in preparation we are communicating closely with the LTA, and with the ATP, WTA, ITF and the other Grand Slams,” the ATP said in a statement.
The build for The Championships is due to begin at the end of April.
“We are working hard to bring certainty to our plans for 2020 and have convened an emergency meeting of the main board for next week, at which a decision will be made,” added Lewis.
Following the government’s advice, the AELTC’s sites at the All England Club, Wimbledon Park Golf Club and Raynes Park are currently closed with physical operations reduced to the practical minimum to maintain the grass courts and the security of the sites.
