The postponement of the 2020 Olympics has given the Wimbledon organisers an option to push the competition into that slot but a decision about any such schedule is still pending an AELTC Main Board emergency meeting next week.
According to an official press release by the Wimbledon authorities, all options are still on the table and getting evaluated and a decision about holding the tournament will take place with the safety of all stakeholders in mind.
Richard Lewis CBE, the AELTC Chief Executive said:
“We are working hard to bring certainty to our plans for 2020. The unprecedented challenge presented by the COVID-19 crisis continues to affect our way of life in ways that we could not have imagined, and our thoughts are with all those affected in the UK and around the world.”
“The single most important consideration is one of public health, and we are determined to act responsibly through the decisions we make.”
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He added the organisers were in constant touch with the other Grand Slams, ATP, WTA and ITF in the lead-up to the next week’s emergency meeting.
Unfortunately for Wimbledon, there isn’t too much of a window available to them to host the tournament, and with preparations expected to begin from end of April, things are looking tough.
The statement also ruled out any possibility of Wimbledon 2020 being played to empty stands. Earlier there had been talks about hosting tennis tournaments behind closed doors but with a major chunk of the revenues coming from the gate collection, it sounds counter-intuitive to have a tournament as big as the Wimbledon in that manner.
Tennis at the 2020 Tokyo Games in Olympics was to be played between July 25 and August 2 which gives Wimbledon an option of postponing the tournament to that slot. However, according to a report in The Mail, Wimbledon might not opt for that option and stick to their current date of June 29 instead.
More clarity will be achieved following the top-level meeting next week.
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