Roger Federer, whose record haul of 20 Grand Slam titles includes eight Wimbledon trophies, said he was "devastated" by the news that the Wimbledon championships were canceled for the first time since World War II on Wednesday.

"Devastated. There is no GIF for these things that I am feeling," the Swiss said.

While the decision had looked inevitable for some time due to the virtual shutdown of world sports and postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Wimbledon had been one of the few events not to have been officially canceled or postponed.

But after emergency talks between the various stakeholders over the last few days, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced that it was impossible for the grass-court Grand Slam, scheduled for June 29-July 12, to take place.

"It is with great regret that the main board... have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic," the AELTC said in a statement.

"The 134th Championships will instead be staged from June 28 to July 11, 2021."

Xinhua-Agencies