Get off the grass: Pandemic stops play at Wimbledon in bitter blow
Tennis suffered the bitterest blow yesterday when the All England Club confirmed the cancellation of Wimbledon for the first time in 75 years.
Despite several hours of teleconference meetings, the tournament’s management committee could see no alternative, and Covid19 emerged as the only winner. “Devastated,” said Roger Federer in a social media post, while Serena Williams declared herself — rather ungrammatically — to be “shooked”.
Andy Murray, who had been looking to resume his comeback from hip surgery over the past fortnight, also hopes to take to Centre Court in 2021. “Very sad,” was his verdict on the decision yesterday, “but with all that is going on in the world right now, everyone’s health is definitely the most important thing! Looking forward to getting back out on the grass next year already!”
If there is one upside to this horrible news, it is the financial cover provided by the All England Club’s cancellation insurance. The policy, which is believed to cost a little over £1 million ($2m) annually, is now turning out to be a masterstroke, as the club is likely to receive more than £200 million to cover lost revenue.
The club said it was “developing plans to support . . . those who rely on the Championships”.
Wimbledon was not the only domino to fall. After the public relations debacle created last month by the French Open’s unilateral decision to postpone, the three professional tours — the ATP, WTA and ITF — united yesterday in cancelling all professional tennis until Monday, July 13, the day after the men’s singles final would normally have been completed on Centre Court. This means that the other grass-court events of the British season — including those at London’s Queen’s Club, Birmingham’s
Edgbaston Priory and Eastbourne’s Devonshire
Park — are also off.
The last time Wimbledon did not take place was in 1945, when the parking lots were pressed into service to grow vegetables and keep animals. Since the event was founded in 1877, the event has been interrupted only by the two world wars — and now coronavirus.
Boris Becker, the three-time champion, provided a lone voice of doubt over Wimbledon’s decision. “Ideally, I would have liked for the committee to wait until the beginning of May,” he said, “but if you turn on the TV you’re bound to listen and hear all the bad news about how many people unfortunately are affected by the virus or have passed away.” In its statement, the club said “being able to provide certainty by taking this decision now, rather than in several weeks, is important for everyone involved in tennis and The Championships”.