An emergency meeting to decide whether the Wimbledon Championships will go ahead as planned this summer is set to be held by the All England Lawn Tennis Club next week.

The SW19 tournament, widely considered the biggest event in the tennis calendar, is currently scheduled for June and July, but there is mounting pressure on organisers to make a decision on whether it will take place amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Bosses have ruled out playing the tournament, which is due to start on June 29, behind closed doors and admitted postponing it would be difficult but there may be little other choice.

All professional tennis is currently suspended until the start of the grass-court season on June 7 and The French Open has already been moved from its scheduled spring slot to September.

Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis said: “We are working hard to bring certainty to our plans for 2020 and have convened an emergency meeting of the AELTC main board for next week, at which a decision will be made.

“The single most important consideration is one of public health, and we are determined to act responsibly through the decisions we make.

“We are working hard to bring certainty to our plans for 2020 and have convened an emergency meeting of the AELTC main board for next week, at which a decision will be made.”

Getty

Elsewhere on Wednesday, the RFU revealed it is braced to lose up to £50million over the next 18 months because of the coronavirus crisis.

Its executive team, including chief executive Bill Sweeney, will take a pay cut of more than 25 per cent as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of heavy losses.

The RFU is facing revenue losses in the region of £45-50million over the next 18 months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and head coach Eddie Jones will also be asked to take a pay cut in excess of 25 per cent.

Jones is the highest paid coach in international rugby, earning in the region of £750,000 per year.

Source: TalkSport.com Tennis