The All England Club will hold an emergency meeting next week to discuss the possible postponement or even cancellation of Wimbledon in th...
The All England Club will hold an emergency meeting next week to discuss the possible postponement or even cancellation of Wimbledon in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.
AFP Sport looks at the key questions facing the organisers of what is generally regarded as the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament.
What are the options for Wimbledon this year?
Wimbledon, which is scheduled to take place from June 29 until July 12, has been staged every year in peace time since 1877, shelved only during the two world wars. However, the spread of the coronavirus has brought havoc to the 2020 global sports calendar.
Tennis is at a standstill until June 7 with the entire European claycourt season already wiped out. Roland Garros, traditionally the season’s second Grand Slam of four, has been rescheduled from its traditional late May-early June slot to September 20-October 4.
The grass court season is relatively short, five weeks for the leading events, so Wimbledon would appear to have time on their side. However, building and preparation work at the All England Club site in leafy south-west London takes two months to complete and is set to start at the end of April.
There is also the issue of when the coronavirus will peak. By Thursday, there had been 170 fatalities in London...
