Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II
The 2020 Championships at Wimbledon will not be played due to the coronavirus pandemic, marking the first time since 1945 that the prestigious Grand Slam tournament has been cancelled.
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The All England Lawn Tennis Club announced on Wednesday that the 2020 event will not occur at all. This year’s Championships, which were supposed to be the 134th edition of the event, were set to be held from June 29 to July 12. Since the tournament began in 1877, it was only previously cancelled during World War I (1915-1918) and World War II (1940-1945). From 1946 on, it has been held annually.
Moving the tournament to late July or August had been discussed, but the lack of ample sunlight and the vast abundance of dew at that time of year made it too difficult for the two-week tournament to occur. Furthermore, the historic grass courts at Wimbledon are designed for the event to take place earlier in the summer.
At last year’s Wimbledon, Greece’s Maria Sakkari reached the third round. On the men’s side, Stefanos Tsitsipas was upset in the first round. Valentini Grammatikopoulou also took part, falling in the first round of women’s singles qualifying.
This decision comes after the French Open was moved from its original dates (May 24-June 7) to later in the year (September 20-October 4). Additionally, the ATP, WTA and ITF tours announced that all events at all levels of professional and junior tennis have been cancelled through July 13.
Wimbledon also stated that the 2021 tournament will be held from June 28 to July 11.
