Wimbledon cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak, first time since World War II

As coronavirus continues to wreak havoc around the globe, Wimbledon organisers have cancelled the tennis tournament. This is the first time since World War II that the Grand Slam has been scrapped. 

This has come as a huge blow to the players as tennis has been in limbo since early March. And the Wimbledon announcement was followed by the French Open announcing that the Grand Slam will take place in September-October, instead of its traditional May-June slot. 

The All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt made the announcement saying that the decision had been made with great regret. “It has weighed heavily on our minds that the staging of The Championships has only been interrupted previously by world wars,” he said.

Hewitt added that after considering all scenarios, they felt the right decision was to call off the Wimbledon. 

Roger Federer, eight-time Wimbledon champion, took to Twitter to express his disappointment and said that he was devastated. Seven-time champion Serena Williams said that she was shocked by the decision. 

Wimbledon getting cancelled and French Open being moved ahead means that the entire grass court and clay court season could be affected. The All England club chief executive, Richard Lewis, expressed his fears saying that there may be no more tennis in 2020. 

The sporting calendar has been hit-hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Tokyo Olympics 2020 and the Paralympic Games have also been shifted to the summer of 2021. 

Football leagues across Europe had been suspended in March due to COVID-19 risks. The Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A and English Premier League have since then resumed, while the 2020-21 season of the Champions League is set to start from August 7.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provided a set of guidelines to be followed by players and management for training as well as during games in lieu of the Coronavirus pandemic. Cricket Australia (CA) has declared Australia’s summer schedule while the West Indies tour of England is set to start from July 8.