Wimbledon Championship cancelled.. first time after World War II; This is how players react..

News Bharati    02-Apr-2020 14:58:16 PM
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London, April 2: The chaos surrounding the sporting world due to the coronavirus pandemic has not ceased yet as another big shocker has come up. The most anticipated event of tennis, "the Wimbledon Championship has been canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic", announced the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of the Championships on Wednesday.  It’s the first time since 1945, due to World War II, that Wimbledon will not be played, and the first reason other than war, that the event will not be played.
 
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However, the 134th Championships will instead commence from 28 June to 11 July 2021. The statement said, "The cancellation of the event would be the best decision in the interests of public health, and that 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."
Keeping the health and safety in mind of the participants and other individuals involved in the tournament, they canceled it. "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," read the statement.
 
The staging of Championships means 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. To avoid all these situations for the sake of not spreading the virus, such a decision was taken. Also, a postponement was not the card as people, supplies, and services legally required to make the event happen would not be available at any point this summer.
 
Meanwhile, health and safety is not the only reason behind the cancellation. The restrictions imposed by the UK government will somehow have an impact on the significant preparations required to stage the event which will begin in April before the actual event will start on the original date of 29 June or at a later date in the summer of 2020.
 
Richard Lewis CBE, AELTC Chief Executive, said, “While in some ways this has been a challenging decision, we strongly believe it is not only in the best interests of society at this time, but also provides certainty to our colleagues in international tennis given the impact on the grass-court events in the UK and in Europe and the broader tennis calendar. We have appreciated the support of the LTA, and the ATP, WTA, and ITF in coming to this decision, and our friends and partners who stage these grass-court events that are so important in the build-up to Wimbledon. I would like to thank the UK Government and public health authorities for their guidance and support, and we will do whatever we can to assist their efforts in tackling the crisis.
 
Earlier, the French Open to that was set to begin in May was now postponed to September 20 with Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Euro 2020 taking place in the next year.
 
Reacting to the cancellation, many tennis players have expressed sadness.
 
The six-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams said she is "shooked" when announced this news.
Another tennis maestro Roger Federer expressed his disappointment for not being to play in this year's event.
Coco Gauff, 16, who is the youngest player ranked in the Top 100 has left her heartbroken as she will be miss playing in the event.
The defending champion Simona Halep said, "So sad to hear won’t take place this year. Last year’s final will forever be one of the happiest days of my life! But 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."