Wimbledon 2020 Canceled Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

Wimbledon, the longest tenured Grand Slam tennis tournament in the world, will not be held in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The All England Club confirmed the cancellation in a statement on Wednesday.

"It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic," the All England Club said in Wednesday's statement.

The tournament scheduled for 2020 will instead take place from June 28 to July 11 in 2021.

"Uppermost in our mind has been the health and safety of all of those who come together to make Wimbledon happen — the public in the UK and visitors around the world, our players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors, and local residents," the All England Club added in Wednesday's statement. "As well as our broader responsibility to society's efforts to tackle this global challenge to our way of life."

Since the tournament's founding in 1877, the contest had previously been called off only during World War I and World War II.

The announcement from the All England Club comes a week after Britain was placed under a virtual lockdown, closing all nonessential shops and banning all meetings of more than two people.

Wimbledon is the first tennis Grand Slam to be canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

This is a breaking news story, please check back in for updates.