Wimbledon 2020 Cancelled Amidst COVID-19

The All England Tennis Club announced that the Wimbledon Championships would be cancelled for the 1st time since World War II. This follows after the increasing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic, which has shut down the entire United Kingdom and forced drastic changes onto daily lives. Tennis professions worldwide have been expressing their sadness towards the announcement but agreed with protecting the overall community.

This announcement came as a significant blow against Roger Federer, who is losing opportunities to compete in Grand Slam Competitions. This is because of his ageing capabilities at thirty-eight. It should be noted that Federer has won eight of the twenty Grand Slam tournaments he’s participated in. Another notable athlete to express their disappointment to this announced closure was Coco Gauff. This sixteen-year-old champion rose to celebrity status after defeating Venus Williams at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Gauff was slated to compete against Bianca Andreescu, who beat Serena Williams last year. These two young athletes competing against each other at Wimbledon would’ve been a memorable battle.

When it applies to Simona Halep, the winner of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, she won’t be provided with the opportunity to defend her title. This comes as a significant blow to Simona, who has lost numerous training and competing opportunities. It’ll force a decline in her skillsets, which could mean losing her championship status to other notable WTA athletes like Gauff or Andreescu.

This didn’t stop Simona Halep from providing a social media posting on the 2020 Wimbledon Closure. She expressed through Twitter her disappointment towards the cancellation, with her noting that 2019s championship victory will be one of the most memorable and happy days in her life. Halep mentioned that COVID-19 is bigger than Wimbledon and tennis, that lives could be lost forever, but Wimbledon will always return. Simona Halep did note that she plans to defend her title and win in 2021.

The final sentiments were expressed by Katie Boulter, who mentioned that the closure comes as a significant loss for her professional opportunities. She said that supporting the overall community is more critical and hopes her opportunities won’t be lost after 2020. This follows after Katie has continued to age and lose her skillsets against younger opponents.