Tennis news - Wimbledon set to be cancelled, claims German tennis chief

Both the WTA and ATP tours are currently suspended until the end of the clay court season and due to restart ahead of the grass swing, which encompasses Wimbledon and its warm-up tournaments.

However, with the crisis now engulfing the majority of Europe, Hordorff is expecting the season's traditional third Grand Slam to be cancelled for the year.

"Wimbledon has stated that they will have a board meeting next Wednesday and will make the final decision there," he told Sky Sport.

"I am also involved in the bodies of the ATP and WTA. The necessary decisions have already been made there and Wimbledon will decide to cancel next Wednesday. There is no doubt about it.

"This is necessary in the current situation. It is completely unrealistic to imagine that with the travel restrictions that we currently have an international tennis tournament where hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world would travel. That is unthinkable."

With the French Open, traditionally held between the end of May and the beginning of June, postponed until late September, Hordforff feels that Wimbledon will struggle to find itself another space in the calendar due to the logistical difficulties of playing tennis on grass.

"Wimbledon has its own laws due to the lawn and the special lighting conditions. Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam tournament many years ago predictive enough to insure itself against a worldwide pandemic, so that the financial damage should be minimized there.

"Of course Wimbledon also has enough reserves to last for several years. Wimbledon in the period of September, October, when nobody knows whether you can play, would be unthinkable due to the lawn situation."