2020 Wimbledon Championships
The 2020 Wimbledon Championships was a cancelled Grand Slam tennis tournament scheduled to be played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom, between 29 June and 12 July.[1] It was never played because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The cancellation of the tournament was announced on 1 April 2020.[3]
2020 Wimbledon Championships | |
---|---|
Edition | 134th |
Category | Grand Slam (ITF) |
Draw | 128S / 64D / 48XD |
Surface | Grass |
Location | London, United Kingdom |
Venue | All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club |
The All England Club exercised an insurance plan covering infectious diseases, reportedly claiming over £100 million for the cancellation.[4] £10m was distributed to the 620 players whose rankings would have been high enough for them to enter the tournament had it taken place.[5]
It was the first time the tournament had been cancelled since 1945 during World War II.[6] Had it gone ahead, it would have been the 134th edition of the Wimbledon Championships.[2]
Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep were the defending champions in the men's and women's singles draw.[1][6]
Following the cancellation, BBC the host broadcaster of this event since 1937 decided to air classic games as a replacement programme.[7]
References
- "Wimbledon Canceled: A 'Kick in the Gut' Not Felt Since World Wars". nytimes.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- "Wimbledon tennis tournament canceled amid coronavirus pandemic". CNN. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- "Cancellation of The Championships 2020" (Press release). The Championships, Wimbledon. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- Fraser, Stuart. "Wimbledon nets £100m coronavirus cancellation payout". The Sunday Times. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- "AELTC Announces Prize Money in Lieu of Championships 2020 and Initial Decisions for 2021". Wimbledon. AELTC. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- "Wimbledon canceled for first time since World War II". ESPN.com. 1 April 2020.
- "Wimbledon 2020: BBC TV to show classic finals, rewinds & Andy Murray weekend". BBC Sport. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
External links
Preceded by 2019 Wimbledon Championships |
The Championships, Wimbledon | Succeeded by 2021 Wimbledon Championships |