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Anderson reacts to Wimbledon cancellation, admits safety more important

South Africa's Kevin Anderson admitted that although Wimbledon will be sorely missed, everyone should be focussing on staying healthy amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The oldest Grand Slam tournament at London's All England Club was cancelled, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom rose to 29 857 on Wednesday, 1 April.

This marks the first time the tournament will not be played since the second World War.

Wimbledon was due to run for two weeks from 29 June, with Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep hoping to defend their titles.

The ATP and WTA have also cancelled several grass-court tournaments, resulting in the tennis season possibly resuming from 13 July.

READ | Who's saying what as Wimbledon suffers first peacetime cancellation

Anderson, who reached the 2018 Wimbledon final, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the historic cancellation:

"I've always had so many great memories at @Wimbledon. The grass season will definitely be missed but the most important thing right now for us to focus on is that we're all staying healthy and safe at home."

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old is currently recovering from knee surgery, which saw him miss the second half of 2019.

The US Open is now the next Grand Slam event and is expected to get underway from 31 August - 13 September in New York, with the French Open having been postponed to 20 September.

- Compiled by Lynn Butler

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