WIMBLEDON is a British institution and one of summer’s big sporting highlights.
The world’s best tennis stars head to SW19 for two weeks of intense competition – but this year’s tournament is under threat from the global coronavirus pandemic.
Read our Coronavirus in Sport live blog for the latest news, updates and cancellations
One of the big four Slams of the year, Wimbledon follows the French Open in the calendar with Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep out to defend their singles title’s.
A HIGHLIGHT of the sporting summer, Wimbledon is traditionally the third Grand Slam of each year.
This year’s tournament is due to get underway on Monday, June 29.
It is set to run for two weeks, ending on Sunday, July 12 with the men’s singles final.
You can expect to watch every serve, volley and forehand live on free-to-air TV, with the BBC retaining the rights to broadcast from the All England Club.
WIMBLEDON CHIEFS will decide next week whether to axe the tennis championships for the first time since the Second World War.
An emergency board meeting will be held to determine if the SW19 grass-court event needs to be postponed or cancelled in the wake of the global COVID-19 outbreak.
Playing behind closed doors given government restrictions on mass gatherings has been ruled out.
A statement said: “The AELTC can confirm it is continuing a detailed evaluation of all scenarios for The Championships, including postponement and cancellation, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The AELTC has been contingency planning since January, working closely with the UK government and public health authorities to follow their advice and understand the likely impact of COVID-19.”
While all professional tennis has been stopped until the start of June, no Grand Slam has been cancelled since 1945.
The French Open which had set for May and June has been rescheduled for September – a week after the US Open.
This year’s French Open has been postponed – and will now be played between September 20 and October 4, 2020.
