Wimbledon being canceled leaves tennis stars ‘devasted’ and ‘shooked’
The world’s most prestigious tennis tournament has been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials called off Wimbledon, which had been scheduled for June 29-July 12 in England, on Wednesday. The tournament hasn’t been canceled since World War II.
The news hit the tennis world hard.
Serena Williams said she was “shooked.” Roger Federer posted “devasted” above a gif that read “There is no gif for these things that I am feeling.”
Wimbledon said it ruled out postponement given the “concerns brought about by mass gatherings and the strain on the medical and emergency services, as well as movement and travel restrictions both within the UK and around the world.
“With the likelihood that the Government’s measures will continue for many months, it is our view that we must act responsibly to protect the large numbers of people required to prepare The Championships from being at risk.”
The 2021 tournament will be June 28 to July 11, 2021. The first tournament was held in 1877 and has been contested every year since except during World I (1915-18) and World War II (1940-45).
Every professional tennis tournament has been suspended until at least July 13. The U.S. Open remains on schedule for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 in New York.
Here’s a handful of social media reactions to Wimbledon’s cancellation —
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 11:13 AM.
