Jamie Murray believes Wimbledon will have to be cancelled this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The annual tournament is unlikely to start on its scheduled June 29 date with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the sporting calendar.
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The All England Club is holding an emergency board meeting on Wednesday to discuss the fate of the 2020 Championships.
The grass court season only lasts for six weeks and is played at the height of the British summer when daylight hours last the longest.
Asked whether he thinks cancelling Wimbledon is more likely than postponing it, Murray told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: “I think so, I think for them it is difficult to move the tournament back for many reasons, because you are running into other tournaments.
“I guess for the moment it is still on the schedule. Even things like daylight, to host the event, each week that passes you get less light to play the tournament. They play until 9pm or 10pm each night at Wimbledon.
“I guess everyone has been waiting on it, it is obviously the next big event in the calendar that is on for the moment.
“I think there are meetings today and tomorrow about what their plans are. That will give us insight into what that means for our grass court season, but also the rest of the season going forward after that.”
The French Open has already been pushed back to late September, making it difficult to rearrange Wimbledon.
If Wimbledon is cancelled, it will be the first time it does not feature on a sporting calendar since 1945.
Give COVID-19 the red card
The quicker we work together to stop coronavirus spreading, the sooner we can get back into the pubs, the gyms and stadiums and arenas to see live sport again…
STAY AT HOME. Only leave for the following purposes:
- to shop for basic essentials – only when you really need to
- to do one form of exercise a day – such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with other people you live with
- for any medical need – for example, to visit a pharmacy or deliver essential supplies to a vulnerable person
- to travel to and from work – but only where this is absolutely necessary
For more info and tips, visit the NHS website.
The government has also issued further detail on what we can do during lockdown.
Everyone should do what they can to stop coronavirus spreading
Murray, a two-time Wimbledon mixed-doubles champion, is following the government’s lockdown guidelines by staying at home.
He added: “There is no playing schedule for now, I am at home like everyone else.
”It is different. We are used to being on the road all the time, we are in different cities each week and you sort of become institutionalised to it.
“When it comes to Friday and Saturday when you are starting to play for big prizes at the business end of the tournament, even then your mind is ready to go to the next event because that is what you’re programmed to do.”
Source: TalkSport.com Tennis
