The French Open, originally planned for May 25 to June 1, has been postponed until September.
The US Open is currently still slated to go ahead as planned between August 31 and September 7 but this could well be changed too.
The ATP Finals in London are still set to go ahead as planned from November 16.
Why was Wimbledon cancelled?
The All-England Club cancelled this year’s Wimbledon after an emergency board meeting in April.
This will be the first time it hasn’t be held since World War II.
The All England Club said in a statement: “It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
“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.
“Since the emergence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in January, we have followed guidance from the UK Government and public health authorities in relation to our year-round operations, alongside developing an understanding of the likely trajectory of the outbreak in the UK.
“With the likelihood that the Government’s measures will continue for many months, it is our view that we must act responsibly to protect the large numbers of people required to prepare The Championships from being at risk.
“From the training of ball boys and girls to thousands of officials, line judges, stewards, players, suppliers, media and contractors who convene on the AELTC Grounds – and equally to consider that the people, supplies and services legally required to stage The Championships would not be available at any point this summer, thus ruling out postponement.”
The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.
A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray) on May 10, 2020 at 9:34am PDT
Andy Murray is looking forward to returning to the tennis court later this year
Getty
What have the stars said?
British superstar Andy Murray, who had been hoping to make his comeback from injury at Wimbledon, said: “I’m sure all tennis players want to get back to playing and competing as soon as possible. But right now that’s just not the most important thing.
“We want, first of all, just to get our normal lives back.
“Just being able to go out and go see friends and go to restaurants and just have the normal freedoms that you have and then hopefully over time things will start to allow for traveling and then hopefully sport.
“The first thing is to try to find a way to stop the virus spreading and then once we’ve done that, we’ll be able to do more normal things that everybody does rather than thinking about competing at sport.
“A lot of people want to watch sport again, so obviously the athletes and the players would love to be competing and lots of people love to watch sport because it’s entertaining and it’s something that lots and lots of people enjoy.
“When you don’t get to see it for a while, then people realise maybe how much they love playing it and how much they enjoy watching it.
“But just because it’s difficult to not have sport just now doesn’t mean that we have to speed things up… let’s just focus on getting our normal lives back first and hopefully all of the countries can sort out the virus properly.”
Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton won his sixth F1 Championship last season, claiming glory in 11 races to romp to the title.
But the defence of his crown has been put on hold as the world of racing tries to deal with the virus.
The 2020 campaign was supposed to start on March 15 with the Australian Grand Prix but that had to be cancelled and no action has taken place since.
There are plenty of questions surrounding the sport and when it will finally get going.
Lewis Hamilton is yet to begin the defence of his Formula One title
Getty
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What races have been cancelled?
Three races have been cancelled so far – the Australian Grand Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix and the French Grand Prix.
A further seven races have had to be postponed in Bahrain, Vietnam, China, the Netherlands, Spain, Azerbaijan and Canada.
There has been no news as to when the postponed races could be held as of yet.
When could the new season begin?
As it stands, the season is scheduled to get under way with the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5.
The remaining 12 races this season, including the British Grand Prix, are still set to go ahead as planned.
The F1 organisers are considering a host of options of how best to complete the 2020 season.
That could see races rescheduled to fit the curtailed calendar or the likes of Silverstone even hosting more than one GP.
It remains to be seen if racing can begin in Austria or if this will need to be changed and it is also expected that some races will be held without fans.
The F1 said in the statement: “In light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation Formula 1 has announced a number of race postponements in the interests of safety for our fans, the communities we visit and the F1 community.
“As stated recently our intention is to start the 2020 season at some point this summer.
“At this time no-one can be certain of exactly when the situation will improve, but when it does, we will be ready to go racing again. We are all committed to bringing our fans a 2020 championship season.
“Formula 1 is currently working with our promoters on a revised 2020 calendar with the actual sequence and schedule dates for races likely to differ significantly from our original 2020 calendar. This will be published in due course.
“As previously announced we will utilise the summer break being brought forward to March/April to race during the normal summer break period, and anticipate the season end date will extend beyond our original end date of 27-29th November.”
A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) on Apr 27, 2020 at 6:16am PDT
Is the British Grand Prix still on?
Formula 1 says it won’t be able to hold a British Grand Prix amid the current plans to quarantine international travellers.
The UK government is set to impose a requirement on all arrivals from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days.
F1 says it would need personnel to be given exemptions to this to go ahead with a British race.
A spokesman said: “A 14-day quarantine would make it impossible to have a British Grand Prix this year.
“Additionally, it has a major impact on literally tens of thousands of jobs linked to F1 and supply chains.”
The British Formula One Grand Prix is still on
AFP or licensors
What else has been said?
Formula 1 boss Chase Carey said: “I am increasingly confident with the progress of plans to begin the season this summer.
“September, October and November, would see us race in Eurasia, Asia and the Americas, finishing the season in the Gulf in December, with Bahrain before the traditional finale in Abu Dhabi, having completed between 15 and 18 races. We will publish our finalised calendar as soon as we possibly can.
“We expect the early races to be without fans but hope fans will be part of our events as we move further into the schedule.
“We still have to work out many issues, like the procedures for the teams and our other partners to enter and operate in each country.
“The health and safety of all involved will continue to be priority one and we will only go forward if we are confident we have reliable procedures to address both risks and possible issues.”
Ferrari have announced that Carlos Sainz will race for them from 2021 as the replacement for Sebastian Vettel, who will leave the Italian team at the end of the season.
Sainz, 25, will join from McClaren to replace Vettel, who announced earlier this week he will depart Ferrari when his deal expires.
Sainz will race alongside Charles Leclerc from next season following his final year with McLaren and Lando Norris
getty
The Spaniard, who finished sixth in the 2019 drivers’ championship – one place behind Vettel – said: “I am very happy that I will be driving for Scuderia Ferrari in 2021 and I’m excited about my future with the team.
“I still have an important year ahead with McLaren Racing and I’m really looking forward to going racing again with them this season.”
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto added: “I’m pleased to announce that Carlos will join Scuderia Ferrari as from the 2021 championship.
“With five seasons already behind him, Carlos has proved to be very talented and has shown that he has the technical ability and the right attributes to make him an ideal fit with our family.
“We’ve embarked on a new cycle with the aim of getting back to the top in Formula 1.
“It will be a long journey, not without its difficulties, especially given the current financial and regulatory situation, which is undergoing a sudden change and will require this challenge to be tackled in a different way to the recent past.
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“We believe that a driver pairing with the talent and personality of Charles and Carlos, the youngest in the past fifty years of the Scuderia, will be the best possible combination to help us reach the goals we have set ourselves.”
Sainz himself will be replaced at McLaren, who will use a Mercedes engine from next season, by Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo.
The ‘Honey Badger’ has signed a ‘multi-year agreement’ and will leave Renault at the end of this campaign, which has yet to start because of coronavirus. He will race alongside Lando Norris, the Brit who finished 11th last season.
“Daniel is a proven race-winner and his experience, commitment and energy will be a valuable addition to McLaren and our mission to return to the front of the field,” McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said.
Ricciardo will leave Renault at the end of the season to join McLaren
Getty Images – Getty
Ricciardo surprisingly left Red Bull, a team with whom he had won seven races in five seasons between 2004 and 2018, to sign a two-year contract with Renault.
However, the Australian’s first season was fraught with difficulty and he failed to make a podium. It seems he has now decided McLaren are the better bet for his long-term prospects.
“With Daniel and Lando as teammates, I believe we have two racers who will continue to excite our fans and help the team grow,” Seidl said.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said: “Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando. This is good news for our team, partners and of course our fans.”
Sebastian Vettel will leave Ferrari at the end of the 2020 Formula 1 season, it has been confirmed.
Vettel, the four-time world champion, had been in contract talks with Ferrari over the past few weeks, but discussions have broken down and the decision has been made from both parties to separate at the end of the year.
Vettel won four world championships driving for Red Bull but he’s failed to replicate that success since joining Ferrari
Getty
“Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow and Sebastian Vettel have jointly decided not to extend the current contract covering Sebastian’s services as a driver with the team, beyond its current expiry date of the end of the 2020 Formula 1 season,” read a Ferrari statement on Tuesday morning.
The 32-year-old German joined Ferrari in 2015 having won four consecutive world championships between 2010 and 2013 with Red Bull.
However, he’s failed to win the title while with the Prancing Horse, finishing second on two occasions and third once.
In 2019 Vettel ended the season in fifth, behind teammate Charles Leclerc, after a tough year for the German as he was usurped by the young Monegasque with a number of flashpoints between the pair throughout the campaign – including a collision in Brazil.
Leclerc and Vettel’s relationship fractured throughout a tough 2019 season for Ferrari
AFP or licensors
Mattia Binotto, the Ferrari team principal, said: “This is a decision taken jointly by ourselves and Sebastian, one which both parties feel is for the best. It was not an easy decision to reach, given Sebastian’s worth as a driver and as a person. There was no specific reason that led to this decision, apart from the common and amicable belief that the time had come to go our separate ways in order to reach our respective objectives.
“Sebastian is already part of the Scuderia’s history, with his 14 Grands Prix wins making him the third most successful driver for the team, while he is also the one who has scored the most points with us. In our five years together, he has finished in the top three of the Drivers’ Championship three times, making a significant contribution to the team’s constant presence in the top three of the Constructors’ classification.
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“On behalf of everyone at Ferrari, I want to thank Sebastian for his great professionalism and the human qualities he has displayed over these five years, during which we shared so many great moments. We have not yet managed to win a world title together, which would be a fifth for him, but we believe that we can still get a lot out of this unusual 2020 season.”
Vettel himself added: “My relationship with Scuderia Ferrari will finish at the end of 2020. In order to get the best possible results in this sport, it’s vital for all parties to work in perfect harmony. The team and I have realised that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season. Financial matters have played no part in this joint decision. That’s not the way I think when it comes to making certain choices and it never will be.
“What’s been happening in these past few months has led many of us to reflect on what are our real priorities in life. One needs to use one’s imagination and to adopt a new approach to a situation that has changed. I myself will take the time I need to reflect on what really matters when it comes to my future.
Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow and Sebastian Vettel decide not to extend their contracthttps://t.co/LMvLsJZiP8
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 12, 2020
“Scuderia Ferrari occupies a special place in Formula 1 and I hope it gets all the success it deserves. Finally, I want to thank the whole Ferrari family and above all its ‘tifosi’ all around the world, for the support they have given me over the years. My immediate goal is to finish my long stint with Ferrari, in the hope of sharing some more beautiful moments together, to add to all those we have enjoyed so far.”
The decision to leave Ferrari throws Vettel’s future into doubt.
He could end up at McLaren if Ferrari opt to hire Carlos Sainz to replace the German, but neither Mercedes nor Red Bull are said to be interested in Vettel.
As well as Sainz, Ferrari’s other options to replace Vettel include Daniel Ricciardo, the Renault driver, or Antonio Giovinazzi, who currently races for Alfa Romeo.
The French Open, originally planned for May 25 to June 1, has been postponed until September.
The US Open is currently still slated to go ahead as planned between August 31 and September 7 but this could well be changed too.
The ATP Finals in London are still set to go ahead as planned from November 16.
Why was Wimbledon cancelled?
The All-England club cancelled this year’s Wimbledon after an emergency board meeting earlier this month.
This will be the first time it hasn’t be held since World War II.
The All England Club said in a statement: “It is with great regret that the AELTC has today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic.
“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.
“Since the emergence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in January, we have followed guidance from the UK Government and public health authorities in relation to our year-round operations, alongside developing an understanding of the likely trajectory of the outbreak in the UK.
“With the likelihood that the Government’s measures will continue for many months, it is our view that we must act responsibly to protect the large numbers of people required to prepare The Championships from being at risk.
“From the training of ball boys and girls to thousands of officials, line judges, stewards, players, suppliers, media and contractors who convene on the AELTC Grounds – and equally to consider that the people, supplies and services legally required to stage The Championships would not be available at any point this summer, thus ruling out postponement.”
The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021.
A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray) on May 10, 2020 at 9:34am PDT
Andy Murray is looking forward to returning to the tennis court later this year
Getty
What have the stars said?
British superstar Andy Murray, who had been hoping to make his comeback from injury at Wimbledon, said: “I’m sure all tennis players want to get back to playing and competing as soon as possible. But right now that’s just not the most important thing.
“We want, first of all, just to get our normal lives back.
“Just being able to go out and go see friends and go to restaurants and just have the normal freedoms that you have and then hopefully over time things will start to allow for traveling and then hopefully sport.
“The first thing is to try to find a way to stop the virus spreading and then once we’ve done that, we’ll be able to do more normal things that everybody does rather than thinking about competing at sport.
“A lot of people want to watch sport again, so obviously the athletes and the players would love to be competing and lots of people love to watch sport because it’s entertaining and it’s something that lots and lots of people enjoy.
“When you don’t get to see it for a while, then people realise maybe how much they love playing it and how much they enjoy watching it.
“But just because it’s difficult to not have sport just now doesn’t mean that we have to speed things up… let’s just focus on getting our normal lives back first and hopefully all of the countries can sort out the virus properly.”
Andy Murray is a lockdown champion after edging out Belgium’s David Goffin in the final of the inaugural Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro.
The Scotsman overcame Goffin on a tiebreak 7-6 on PlayStation game Tennis World Tour in a competition arranged to replace the postponed Madrid Open, which the 32-year-old has won twice in his career.
A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray) on Apr 30, 2020 at 12:52pm PDT
Murray will be donating half of his £35,000 prize money to the NHS and the other half to the tennis player relief fund, while the charity initiative will donate £43,600 to the Madrid Food Bank to help reduce the social impact of COVID-19.
Posing next to a big bottle of champagne, Murray vowed to get ‘virtually legless’ to celebrate his victory.
“Going to get ‘virtually’ legless celebrating my win online @mutuamadridopen,” he said.
“Hope anyone who watched got some sort of enjoyment out of it in these tough times.”
Former world number one Murray was gifted a route into the showpiece following some bizarre technical glitches in his semi-final against Diego Schwartzman on Thursday afternoon.
The Argentinian unfathomably kept being awarded points, a situation which led Murray to say: “This is madness.”
Schwartzman won a tiebreak – despite the last point being a winner from Murray – but the South American graciously stepped aside.
A tournament statement said: “Due to technical problems with @dieschwartzman’s connection that prevented him from competing normally in his semi-final match, the players have agreed that @andy_murray should progress to the #MMOPEN Virtual Pro final.”
