For the first time since World War II, the Wimbledon tennis tournament has been canceled, this time due to the novel coronaviru.
The competition, originally scheduled to be held June 29 through July 12, will not be postponed for a later date.
The All England Club provided the public with a statement on the cancellation on the Wimbledon website.
“It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic,” the statement said. “Uppermost in our mind has been the health and safety of all of those who come together to make Wimbledon happen — the public in the UK and visitors from around the world, our players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors, and local residents — as well as our broader responsibility to society’s efforts to tackle this global challenge to our way of life.”
As a result of this cancellation, the organizers of Wimbledon are set to receive a $141 million payout in insurance money, according to Action Network sports business reporter Darren Rovell. While this may seem like a lot of money, it is nothing in comparison to the money Wimbledon would have received had the matches been played under normal circumstances. According to a Forbes article by Isabel Togoh, the projected amount of revenue Wimbledon pulls in is around $310 million.
What about those set to play in this year’s tournament? Roger Federer, an eight-time Wimbledon champion, tweeted that he was “devastated” at the news of the cancellation. However, other players are more optimistic.
“We are going through something bigger than tennis and Wimbledon will be back! And it means I have even longer to look forward to defending my title,” tweeted 2019 winner Simona Halep.
Next year’s tournament is scheduled for June 28 through July 11.