No Wimbledon This Year

Southland Times, Issue 24153, 15 June 1940, Page 16

No Wimbledon This Year

When the English tennis authorities cancelled the Wimbledon tournament for 1940, the Queen’s Club—where the London championships are played, usually a week before Wimbledon—discussed the prospect of holding a “Little Wimbledon” for women competitors only. Now this has been cancelled, for the Queen’s Club is once again to become the scene of war activities, writes Harry Hopman in The Herald, Melbourne. I learned this in a letter from the International Tennis Club, with its headquarters in England, informing me that, because of the occupation of the ground by the fighting services, the committee of the Queen’s Club had found it necessary to withdraw from May 1 the privilege of honorary membership conferred on all members of the International Club. All tournaments usually played on the grounds

had been cancelled. Many Australian soldiers will recall use of the club as a barracks during 1914-18. Last September the club grounds again took on a war-like appearance when a bomb-shelter was dug. In the 1940 book of membership of the International Club, it is very noticeable that the names of former members like von Cramm, Menzel, Henkel and others who belong to enemy nations have been deleted. In England at the outbreak of the war a special executive committee of the Lawn Tennis Association was formed to control the sport for the duration. There is a ban on senior tournaments, unless specially sanctioned, but junior tournaments have been encouraged. The committee intends arranging exhibitions for charitable purposes.