By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — For the first time since World War II in 1945, Wimbledon has been canceled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as the All England Club announced Wednesday.
The tournament had been scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12, and has been rescheduled for June 28 to July 11, 2021.
Across the East Valley, high school tennis coaches have been preparing for a prolonged delay, as the University Interscholastic League first postponed all athletic activities March 13.
On March 19, the UIL extended its suspension until May 4, which was superseded Tuesday by Texas governor Gregg Abbott’s decision to close schools statewide until at least May 4.
Lyford tennis coach David Lopez said he was disappointed at the prospect of missing out on watching Wimbledon this summer in addition to the uncertainty surrounding his own team’s season.
He and the Bulldogs have decided to abide by the school’s slogan “no fear, all faith.”
“It is unfortunate but necessary under the circumstances,” Lopez said. “Tennis fanatics like myself look forward to watching Wimbledon every year. A tradition will be broken for a lot of us this year. Our tennis athletes are disappointed with how this season has turned out.
“Fortunately, we at Lyford CISD have taken every step imaginable to keep our students engaged. Our athletic department was able to develop a strength and conditioning program for our athletes, as part of their class schedule at home.”
Harlingen South coach Ernesto Escamilla praised the All England Club’s decision to delay the iconic tournament.
“The decision is a wise one due to what we know and don’t know of COVID-19,” Escamilla said. What we are going through is way bigger than tennis. Tennis will be back and everything will be back to normal if we all do our part. The board of the All England Club did their part, and we are trying to do ours as well.
The Hawks’ coach noted that tennis players have plenty of ways to continue training from the safety of their homes.
“We have not stepped foot in our facilities,” Escamilla said. “And thanks to the many platforms we have online we have been in touch with our athletes and sending sport-specific workouts for them to do at home.
“Practicing social distancing and staying home are best practices for us as a community, however, this does not mean we are not proactively investing in our well-being. We must keep some sort of healthy routine, at home, where we can take care of our mind, body and soul.”
Brownsville Veterans Memorial tennis coach Leo Casanova said the move to postpone an event of such magnitude months in advance is an indication of how urgently the rest of the world should be approaching the social distancing preventative measures advocated by local authorities in response to the coronavirus.
“It just goes to show how serious the world is taking this virus by canceling such a historic and important tournament,” Casanova said.
Casanova is one of several coaches using several different forms of technology, from smartphone apps to video conferencing tools to distribute fitness plans and keep his players on track.
“My staff and I are keeping in touch with our student-athletes through our Remind app,” Casanova said. “We have been uploading workouts so students can do them at home on a regular basis, so they can stay in playing shape if the season were to continue. Our biggest concern right now is the students’ safety.”
Tennis director Seferino Couoh of the Brownsville Tennis Center, Don VanRamshorst, head tennis pro at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Harlingen, Harlingen Country Club tennis director Andy Carter and Rancho Viejo Country Club tennis director Ray Jasso could not be reached for comment.