Former champ Roger Federer said he was “devastated” that the coronavirus has forced Wimbledon to be cancelled for the first time since World War II. Wimbledon chiefs pulled the plug on the oldest Grand Slam tournament in response to the ongoing pandemic-induced turmoil.
Roger Federer who has won a record eight Wimbledon men’s singles title reacted to the cancellation by tweeting, “Devastated.”
On the other hand, seven-time Wimbledon women’s singles champion, Serena Williams also seemed shocked by the news as she tweeted, “I’m shocked (sic).”
Wimbledon was scheduled to begin from 29th June, with Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep all geared up to defend their titles.
But in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the All England Club chiefs had no other choice but to cancel the tournament, which first began in 1887.
The Romanian tennis star that defeated Serena to win her maiden Wimbledon title last year, tweeted, “So sad to hear Wimbledon won’t take place this year.”
She further concluded by tweeting, “Last year’s final will forever be one of the happiest days of my life! But we are going through something bigger than tennis and Wimbledon will be back! And it means I have even longer to look forward to defending my title.”
While the American legend Billie-Jean King, a six-time singles champion at Wimbledon said the cancellation was the right decision.