Tennis: Wimbledon chiefs give World Cup the cold shoulder

Wimbledon chiefs have warned sports fans that they won't be able to follow the World Cup if they come to the grass-court grand slam.

The All-England Club tournament, which runs from June 21 to July 4, will take place during football's showpiece event, which starts in South Africa on June 11 and concludes a month later.

Some sporting events that run at the same time as the World Cup will show matches on big screens in their grounds.

But the thousands of fans who flock to south west London for Wimbledon won't have the chance to take a break from the tennis to keep tabs on the World Cup as officials are determined to ensure the focus remains firmly on their event.

Asked if showing World Cup games on Wimbledon's big screens was an option, All-England Club chairman Tim Phillips said: "No, this is a tennis tournament. If you want to watch the football you can go to South Africa or watch it on television.

"There is no plan to show football. We are not ever going to say never on any subject because we have to make a judgement on the day, but it would not be right for people to be led to believe they can come here to watch a bit of tennis and then watch the World Cup on the big screen.

"That is not going to happen. This is arguably the leading tennis tournament in the world and you come here to watch tennis."