Wimbledon Canceled For First Time Since World War II Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Wimbledon has been called off for the first time since World War II.

Wimbledon has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Main Board of the All England Club and the Committee of Management of The Championships announced on Wednesday. 

The cancellation marks the first time the tournament has been called off since World War II. 

The tournament was initially scheduled to be played from June 29 to July 12. Next year's event will be held from June 28 to July 11, 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 from around the world, our players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors, and local residents – as well as our broader responsibility to society’s efforts to tackle this global challenge to our way of life," organizers said in a statement.

The French Open has been postponed from May to September, a delay that marked the first Grand Slam tournament to be affected by the virus. The U.S. Open remains on the calendar for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 in New York. All ATP and WTA matches have been suspended until July 13, per the Tennis Channel.

There are more than 800,000 confirmed cases of the virus globally.