{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Short description|Cancelled tennis tournament}} {{Infobox tennis event|2020|Wimbledon Championships| |edition=(completely cancelled) |draw=128S / 64D / 48XD |date=29 June – 12 July (cancelled) |category=[[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] (ITF) |surface=[[Grass court|Grass]] |prize_money= |location=[[London]], [[United Kingdom]] |venue=[[All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club]] |main_name=Wimbledon Championships }} The '''2020 Wimbledon Championships''' was a cancelled [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] [[tennis]] tournament scheduled to be played at the [[All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club]] in [[Wimbledon, London]], United Kingdom, between Monday 29 June 2020 and Sunday 12 July 2020.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/sports/tennis/wimbledon-canceled-coronavirus.html|title=Wimbledon Canceled: A 'Kick in the Gut' Not Felt Since World Wars|website=[[The New York Times]]|language=en|access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> It was never played because of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="cnn">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/tennis/wimbledon-canceled-coronavirus-2020-spt-intl/index.html|title=Wimbledon tennis tournament canceled amid coronavirus pandemic|website=[[CNN]]|date=April 2020 |language=en|access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref> The cancellation of the tournament was announced on 1 April 2020.<ref name="cancellation-press-release">{{Cite press release|url=https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2020-04-01/cancellation_of_the_championships_2020.html|title=Cancellation of The Championships 2020|publisher=The Championships, Wimbledon|access-date=10 July 2020}}</ref> This was the first time since [[World War II]] that the Wimbledon Championships had been cancelled.
==Cancellation and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic== The [[All England Club]] exercised an insurance plan covering infectious diseases, reportedly claiming over £100 million for the cancellation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fraser |first1=Stuart |title=Wimbledon nets £100m coronavirus cancellation payout |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/wimbledon-nets-100m-coronavirus-cancellation-payout-sjdd9hlmv |website=The Sunday Times |access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref> £10m was distributed to the 620 players whose rankings would have been high enough for them to enter the tournament had it taken place.<ref>{{cite web |title=AELTC Announces Prize Money in Lieu of Championships 2020 and Initial Decisions for 2021 |url=https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2020-07-10/aeltc_announces_prize_money_in_lieu_of_championships_2020_alongside_initial_decisions_for_the_championships_2021.html |website=Wimbledon |publisher=AELTC |access-date=11 October 2020}}</ref> It was the first time the tournament had been cancelled since 1945 during [[World War II]].<ref name="espn">{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/28981311/wimbledon-cancelled-due-coronavirus-pandemic|title=Wimbledon canceled for first time since World War II|date=1 April 2020|website=ESPN.com}}</ref> Had it gone ahead, it would have been the 134th edition of the [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon Championships]].<ref name="cnn"/> [[Novak Djokovic]] of Serbia and [[Simona Halep]] of Romania were the defending champions in the 2019 men's and women's singles draw.<ref name="nytimes"/><ref name="espn"/> Following the cancellation, the BBC, the host broadcaster of this event since 1937 decided to air classic games as a replacement programme.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/53007200|title=Wimbledon 2020: BBC TV to show classic finals, rewinds & Andy Murray weekend|website=[[BBC Sport]]|date=3 July 2020|accessdate=31 January 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{Official website|http://wimbledon.com}} {{s-start}} {{s-bef|before=[[2019 Wimbledon Championships]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[The Championships, Wimbledon]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[2021 Wimbledon Championships]]}} {{S-end}} {{Wimbledon championships}} {{2020 ATP Tour}} {{2020 WTA Tour}} {{2020 in tennis}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimbledon Championships, 2020}} [[Category:2020 ATP Tour]] [[Category:2020 in tennis]] [[Category:2020 in sport in London]] [[Category:2020 WTA Tour]] [[Category:July 2020 sports events in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:June 2020 sports events in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Tennis events cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic]] [[Category:COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom]]