Wimbledon is cancelled as Britain remains on lockdown

Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament and a cultural institution in Britain, will not be held in 2020, becoming the latest major sporting event disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.

The cancellation, announced Wednesday, was the first in 75 years for Wimbledon, which was founded in 1877 and had previously been called off only during World War I and World War II. But the pandemic caused the tournament’s leadership to cancel this year’s edition, which was scheduled from June 29 to July 12. The decision is also expected to result in cancellation of the preliminary grass-court season.

Britain remains under a lockdown that began last week, banning public gatherings of more than two people, permitting residents to leave their homes only to shop for necessities, to exercise and to travel to work.

“At present there are just no easy options; the way ahead is hard,” said Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week.

The restrictions will be reviewed in the middle of this month, but the All England Club, which stages Wimbledon, chose not to wait to make a final decision.

The club’s leaders had already ruled out playing Wimbledon without spectators. They explained last week that a postponement was unlikely because of the narrow scheduling window for grass-court tennis.

Wimbledon has always been played on grass, which was once tennis’ most common playing surface but has long since been superseded by clay and synthetic hardcourts. The tournament has maintained its prestige and relevance, however, and its cancellation is a major blow to professional tennis.

Total prize money at Wimbledon in 2019 was 38 million pounds (about $47.3 million at the current exchange rate).

The organisers of the French Open, the clay-court event in Paris that usually precedes Wimbledon, have shifted their tournament to a Sept. 20 start date. But because of resistance from players and the leaders of the men’s and women’s tours, the organisers may be obliged to alter those plans.

The US Open, normally the last Grand Slam played each year, remains scheduled for Aug 24 to Sept 13, but its leaders are also exploring the possibility of postponement.

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