The Wimbledon Championships is expected to announce the cancellation of the 2020 tournament within the next 48 hours, according to reports.
Tennis, like all professional sport, has been severely disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the men's ATP Tour and women's WTA Tour confirming that no tournaments would be held until at least the end of April.
However, that date looks set to be extended until the middle of July, leaving Wimbledon - scheduled for June 29-July 12 - at risk of being cancelled.
The French Open, originally slated to take place at the end of May and start of June, has been able to postpone this year's tournament and find space in the calendar from September 20 to October 4, although French tennis authorities did face criticism over their lack of communication with players regarding the new dates.
Wimbledon, as a grass court tournament that needs to be played in summer, does not have the same luxury to be able to delay the tournament into the autumn.
Given the obstacles facing the tournament, the BBC have reported that the three governing bodies responsible for making such decisions - the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the ATP, and the WTA - are expected to agree to abandon this year's championships in the coming days.
Indeed, the All England Club, which hosts the prestigious Grand Slam tournament, said last week that rearranging the tournament would not be "without significant risk and difficulty".
Should the expected announcement be made, it will be the first time since the Second World War that Wimbledon will be cancelled.
While the coronavirus has wreaked havoc with the tennis schedule, tennis players have stepped up to help in the fight against the pandemic.
Men's world No 1 Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena revealed on Friday that they would be donating €1 million (Dh4m) towards medical devices and supplies in their native Serbia. That comes after Swiss superstar Roger Federer contributed one million Swiss Francs (Dh3.8m) to vulnerable families in his native Switzerland , and Spanish great Rafael Nadal called on Spanish athletes to help raise €11m.
