The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Wimbledon has no room to manoeuvre if cancelled – Murray
Two-time Wimbledon champion Jamie Murray admits he fears that this year’s tournament could be cancelled due to the coronavirus.
The All England Club plan to make a decision regarding tennis’s flagship event next week amid the ongoing health crisis.
Wimbledon is due to take place between June 29 and July 12 but postponing or even cancelling the tournament is being considered by the organisers.
The French Open, which was due to take place in May, has already been rescheduled for September, while the ATP and WTA tours have been suspended until June 7.
However, doubles specialist Murray, the elder brother of twotime Wimbledon singles champion Andy, believes there is little room for manoeuvre when it comes to potentially rearranging the event.
He said: “It’s difficult, I guess for them they’re desperate to have their event on.
“It’s still over three months’ away and a lot can change in that time.
“Obviously, I get for them the optics don’t necessarily look great if there’s sporting events all over the world being cancelled and they’re trying to crack on with things.
“It’s a difficult situation, there’s a lot of people who want Wimbledon to go ahead but it just might not be possible.
“We’ll have to wait and see, they could push it back. I don’t know how long they could push it back.
“There’s a lot of other stakeholders, a lot of other tournaments to consider.
“Even things like daylight for the tournament, once the tournament gets put back, there’s less and less daylight.
“When you play at Wimbledon normally, you can play until 10 at night.”
Murray, who is a seventime doubles Grand Slam champion, admits being in lockdown amid the crisis is completely different to his normal lifestyle.
Speaking to BBC Scotland’s The Nine, he added: “It’s weird, it’s a big mindset shift.
“I’m used to travelling the world and being in different cities every week, always on the go, outdoors a lot. And now you’re stuck inside.
“I’m fortunate I have a garden so I can get out and about. It’s very strange and new for everyone.
“I just hope that everyone’s taking the utmost precautions they can.
“No one really knows when we’re really going to get back out on court and be able to compete, whether that’s behind closed doors, which I don’t think anyone wants, or in front of fans.”