The Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships announced on Wednesday that the 2020 Wimbledon Championships would be canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The decision was made in light of health and safety concerns, as well as the sheer amount of people that would have to be present for setup and the event. Serena Williams, who has tallied seven victories at the Wimbledon Championships, saw the news and weighed in with a blunt message.
“I’m Shooked,” Williams wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning. Her message was brief, but she appeared to be stunned that Wimbledon would be canceled and moved to 2021. In response, her fans weighed in and expressed sadness that they would not be able to see her take to the courts in summer 2020. Instead, they would have to hope that she continued to compete in 2021 and participated in Wimbledon.
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“GURL STAY WITH US I NEED YOU TO WIN ONE MORE!!!” one fan proclaimed on Twitter. Others weighed in and said that this cancellation news was expected, but it was still terrible.
With Williams further pursuing projects away from the tennis court, such as her clothing brand S by Serena, there are some fans worried that they will never see her compete at Wimbledon again. Retirement has been rumored for years despite the veteran saying that she has “no plans” to walk away. Williams even told PEOPLE in September 2019 that she will transfer out in “20 years” but not anytime soon.
“While in some ways this has been a challenging decision, we strongly believe it is not only in the best interests of society at this time, but also provides certainty to our colleagues in international tennis given the impact on the grass court events in the U.K. and in Europe and the broader tennis calendar,” said Richard Lewis CBE, AELTC Chief Executive, in a press release.
“We have appreciated the support of the LTA, and the ATP, WTA, and ITF in coming to this decision, and our friends and partners who stage these grass court events that are so important in the build up to Wimbledon. I would like to thank the UK Government and public health authorities for their guidance and support, and we will do whatever we can to assist their efforts in tackling the crisis.”
The 134th Championships will now be moved to June 28 through July 11, 2021. Whether Williams is present for this competition is unknown, but the fans are hoping that she does travel to the United Kingdom and secures another championship victory.
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