Aegon International: LTA announces £44m redevelopment of Eastbourne venue

Posted: Jun 20, 2016

The Lawn Tennis Association is to carry out a £44m upgrade of Eastbourne’s International Tennis Centre

The project, run in partnership with Eastbourne Borough Council, will see the Devonshire Park venue redeveloped over the next three years.

A show court will be built along with new practice courts, changing rooms and medical and media facilities.

It was also announced that Eastbourne will stage the Aegon International tournament for at least 10 more years.

The grasscourt tournament regularly attracts the elite of the women’s game, with past winners including Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Monica Seles and Martin Navratilova.

Teenager Belinda Bencic lifted the trophy last year with a 6-4 4-6 6-0 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska in the final.

Starting next year, the site will co-host the long-standing Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Premier event with a mean’s World Tour 250 tournament in the same week.

“We are thrilled by Eastbourne Borough Council’s substantial investment into Devonshire Park to keep this iconic venue as one of the very best in the country,” said LTA chief executive Michael Downey.

“We are also delighted to enter into a brand-new 10-year hosting agreement with the site, ensuring that world class women’s and men’s tennis will be here until at least until 2026, guaranteeing our loyal fans the best possible entertainment experience.”

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Murray Moët Moment At Queen's

Posted: Jun 20, 2016

Murray Moët Moment At Queen's

Jun202016

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Wimbledon 2016: Laura Robson says she will be fit for tournament

Posted: Jun 20, 2016

Wimbledon
Venue: All-England Club, London Dates: 27 June-10 July
Coverage: BBC TV, Radio 5 live, Red Button, Connected TVs and online.

Wildcard Laura Robson says she will be fit for Wimbledon despite pulling out of Eastbourne with a thigh injury.

The 22-year-old former British number one was forced to retire from her qualifying match against American Madison Brengle on Sunday.

But on Monday she tweeted: “Getting solid treatment on my leg and will be all good for Wimbledon.”

Robson is currently ranked 308 in the world after missing much of 2014 and 2015 with a wrist problem.

She finally returned to action at Indian Wells in March this year, her first WTA Tour event since August 2015.

The Australia-born player had wrist surgery in April 2014 and as consequence was sidelined for more than a year. She then had further surgery towards the end of 2015, which led to her missing the 2016 Australian Open in January.

The 2008 Wimbledon junior champion achieved a career-high ranking of 27 in 2013, having reached the last 16 of Wimbledon that year and the US Open in 2012, before suffering the wrist injury.

She has been awarded a wildcard for this year’s Wimbledon, which begins on Monday, 27 June.

British women’s number four Tara Moore and 17-year-old compatriot Katie Swan, who was the 2015 junior Australian Open finalist, have also been handed wildcards.

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Braunschweig, Mons And Monterrey Voted 2015 ATP Challenger Tour Tournaments Of The Year

Posted: Jun 20, 2016

Braunschweig, Mons And Monterrey Voted 2015 ATP Challenger Tour Tournaments Of The Year

Jun202016

166 tournaments were held on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2015

The ATP has announced the 2015 Challenger Tournaments of the Year, with long-standing events the Sparkassen OPEN (Braunschweig, Germany) and the Ethias Trophy (Mons, Belgium) joined by newcomer the Monterrey Open (Mexico) as the most favoured ATP Challenger Tour events.

The Challenger Tournament of the Year awards, voted for the first time by ATP players, recognise the leading standards set across the 161 Challenger tournaments in 41 countries in 2015.

ATP Challenger Tour Committee Co-Chairs, Alison Lee, ATP International Executive Vice President and Ross Hutchins, Chief Player Officer, said “Challenger tournaments provide ATP players with important playing opportunities for much of the year, and provide local tennis fans with the chance to see world-class tennis and rising stars. There are many outstanding Challenger tournaments around the world, managed by dedicated people who love tennis. However, the three tournaments in Braunschweig, Mons and Monterrey were overwhelmingly voted for by the players for the high standards they set in their facility, player services and attendance. We are grateful that these Promoters go above and beyond in making their Challenger week such an incredible event for the players and their local tennis fans.”

Packed crowds watch the action in Mons.

The Sparkassen OPEN in Braunschweig has received many accolades in its 22-year history, attracting more than 30,000 spectators in 2015. The Challenger incorporates live music and entertainment throughout the week to complement the tennis.

MORE: ‘Tennistainment’ Key To Braunschweig Challenger Success

Sparkassen OPEN Tournament Director Volker Jaecke and Tournament Promoter and CEO of Brunswiek Marketing Harald Tenzer, said, “A very special thanks to the ATP and all the players who have voted for our ATP Challenger Sparkassen OPEN in Braunschweig. It is such an honour for the whole team to receive this Award again. After winning the Award in 2014, we have been even more motivated to organise a great tournament for players, spectators, sponsors and partners in 2015. However, we did not expect the effort to be paid off so quickly. This year, we were able to improve several areas to make players feel even more comfortable.”

“It is important to mention that this tournament could not exist without all the sponsors and partners, who support us each year. We are therefore pleased to announce that our title sponsor, Braunschweigische Landessparkasse, has renewed for five more years. We are looking forward to another year of successful cooperation and organisation with the ATP.”

Night sessions are a popular draw at the Monterrey Open.

The Ethias Trophy in Mons, staged since 2005, is also a local crowd favourite with almost 20,000 people coming to watch the week of tennis. Tournament Director Dominique Monami, said, “In the name of Ethias and the organisation committee, we are proud to receive this award. Year after year, we are trying to make this event the most attractive to the players. As a former player on the WTA, I understand better than anyone what the players are expecting during a tournament. With my team, we do our best to make sure that the players can perform in the best conditions and make their stay the most comfortable. This is the best recognition we can get!”

MORE: Rave Reviews For Inaugural Monterrey Challenger

The Monterrey Open, played at the Sierra Madre Tennis Club, made a huge impact on players winning the prestigious Best Challenger Award in its inaugural year in 2015. Tournament Director Hernan Garza said, “It is an honour for us have been named one of the winners of the ATP Challenger of the Year awards for 2015, which we look forward to receiving in November at the Barclays ATP Tour World Finals in London. This confirms the good direction we have taken with the Monterrey Open Challenger, and commits us to continue our efforts to provide the players and the public a high quality event.”

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Evans Opens Nottingham With A Win

Posted: Jun 20, 2016

Evans Opens Nottingham With A Win

Jun192016

Donskoy, Mannarino also first-round winners on Sunday

Britain’s Daniel Evans enjoyed a successful start to the Aegon Open Nottingham on Sunday, prevailing against countryman Liam Broady 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(6). Sunday was the first day of play at the ATP World Tour 250 event, which returns to Nottingham for a second consecutive year.

Evans next will play 16^th seed Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, who won their prior FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting in 2010.

Russian Evgeny Donskoy swept American Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-4. Donskoy next will face ninth seed Marcos Baghdatis, who reached the quarter-finals last week in Halle (l. to Zverev). Donskoy leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 1-0, thanks to a 2013 win on indoor hard courts in Moscow.

Frenchman Adrian Mannarino also took care of American Taylor Fritz, a member of the Next Generation, 6-3, 6-2. Mannarino will face 12^th seed Paolo Lorenzi of Italy for the first time.

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Nottingham 2016

Posted: Jun 20, 2016

Nottingham 2016

Jun192016

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Baghdatis Powers Up In Nottingham

Posted: Jun 20, 2016

Baghdatis Powers Up In Nottingham

Jun192016

An executive summary of what every fan should know about the coming week on the ATP World Tour

James Ward and Marcos Baghdatis face off as Batman vs. Superman. A mini court was set up in front of Wollaton Hall, the building used as Wayne Manor in The Dark Knight Rises.

Nottingham Returns: The Aegon Open Nottingham is the final tournament before Wimbledon, which begins June 27. This is the second straight year Nottingham is hosting an ATP World Tour event (returned last year for the first time since 2008). The tournament was formerly held in Eastbourne from 2009-14. The 48-player draw features 12 of the Top 50 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings, led by World No. 20 Kevin Anderson, who is the top seed. Denis Istomin is the reigning champion. Andreas Seppi is the other former winner in the field (2011).

Aegon Open Nottingham (Nottingham): The top eight seeds are: Anderson, Pablo Cuevas, Joao Sousa, Alexandr Dolgopolov, last year’s runner-up Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, Seppi and Gilles Muller. Other seeds in the Top 50 are: Marcos Baghdatis, Pablo Carreno Busta, Vasek Pospisil and Paolo Lorenzi.

Anderson Top Seed: Anderson is the top seed for the second time this season in an ATP World Tour tournament. In February in Delray Beach he was the top seed. He retired in the first round vs. Austin Krajicek due to an elbow injury. The 30-year-old South African comes in with a 3-8 match record on the season with his best results being the quarter-finals in Auckland and Nice (after 1R bye). He has not won back-to-back matches this season. Anderson has been bothered by a left knee and right elbow injury this season. He also retired in the first round at the Australian Open. Last week he qualified at The Queen’s Club and lost in the first round to Tomic.

The Reigning Champ: Istomin comes in as the defending champion after beating Querrey in two tie-breaks in the final. Istomin became the first player from Uzbekistan to capture an ATP World Tour singles title. This season Istomin has struggled with a 4-15 match record and he’s not won back-to-back matches in an ATP World Tour tournament.

Fritz Ranking Jump Leader: One year ago, Taylor Fritz made his main draw ATP World Tour debut here as a wild card. He came in ranked No. 761 and defeated Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round before losing to No. 16 Feliciano Lopez in the second round. Since then, the 18 year old has made the biggest jump in the Top 100 Emirates ATP Rankings. He has climbed to a career-high No. 63, making him the youngest in the Top 100. Fritz comes into Nottingham with a 9-10 match record on the season, highlighted by his maiden ATP World Tour final in Memphis (l. to Nishikori).

Local Title Hopes: The four wild cards are British players Liam Broady, Brydan Klein, Alex Ward and James Ward. There are two other British players in the draw: Kyle Edmund and Daniel Evans. Edmund is coming off his second career ATP World Tour quarter-final at The Queen’s Club where he posted his first Top 20 win over No. 18 Gilles Simon before losing to World No. 2 Murray in three sets.

Gilles Going Strong: No. 11 seed Gilles Muller has put together strong performances in the first two weeks of the grass-court circuit, reaching the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (l. to Mahut) and the quarter-finals at The Queen’s Club (l. to Tomic) where he saved 10 match points in his second-round win over John Isner. Muller is making his tournament debut.

Doubles Draw: The top seeds in the doubles draw are Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo, who are No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings. Other seeds are: No. 2 Dominic Inglot and Daniel Nestor, No. 3 Treaty Huey & Max Mirnyi and No. 4 Juan Sebastian Cabal & Robert Farah. Huey & Mirnyi are No. 5 in the doubles team rankings and Cabal & Farah are No. 7 in the rankings.

In Case You Missed It

Andy Murray captured a record fifth title at the Aegon Championships. Read

Florian Mayer capped off a dream week by winning the Gerry Weber Open title over Alexander Zverev. Read

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut successfully defended their Aegon Championships title. Read

Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram also retained their Gerry Weber Open crown. Read

Roger Federer takes positives from an “intense and busy” stretch on grass. Read

Lleyton Hewitt will return to the doubles court at Wimbledon. Read

Birthdays

21 June: Ricardas Berankis (26)

23 June: Vasek Pospisil (26)

25 June: Mikhail Youzhny (34)

Milestones

Nottingham Singles

Fernando Verdasco: 446 wins

Julien Benneteau: 245 wins

Kevin Anderson: 225 wins

Nottingham Doubles

Julian Knowle: 396 wins

Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi: 246 wins

Treat Huey: 149 wins

Andreas Seppi: 99 wins

Rankings Movers

+112 Florian Mayer (80)

+17 Kyle Edmund (68)

+10 Alexander Zverev (28)

+4 Malek Jaziri (60)

+1 Nick Kyrgios (18)

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Football with Lendl, early bedtimes and my first Father's Day

Posted: Jun 19, 2016

Wimbledon 2016 on the BBC
Venue: All-England Club, London Date: 27 June – 10 July
Coverage: Live on BBC TV, Radio 5 live, Red Button, Connected TVs and BBC Sport website. Click for more details

There was no hug from Ivan Lendl for winning at Queen’s Club but I got a “well done, good job” – and then it was straight on to planning our Wimbledon preparation.

My first-round match will be on the Tuesday, so that gives me eight days to prepare for the biggest tournament of the year, and everything will be planned out.

I might find time one evening to watch some football with Ivan as there’s a chance that England will play the Czech Republic at the Euros next week.

Ivan loves sport, whether it’s golf, football or tennis. Most of his conversations revolve around sport.

He went home the other night to watch the Czech Republic against Croatia, when the Czechs came back from 2-0 down, and that certainly gave him plenty to talk about.

I’m sure the football will provide a good diversion during Wimbledon as always.

I had a bunch of friends over for England’s first game. About 10 of us had a barbecue – we got rained on, obviously – and nobody could miss the noise around Queen’s when Daniel Sturridge scored England’s winner against Wales.

So I’m sure me and Ivan will watch a match together at some stage during the week and take the chance to unwind, as our days will be meticulously organised.

There was only a brief chat about Sunday’s final before Ivan, Jamie Delgado and myself were setting out exactly what I’m going to do each day between now and Wimbledon – on which days I will practise, who I’m going to practise with, and on which days I’ll rest.

We don’t leave anything to chance.

‘My best tennis is there – I need to find it consistently’

Ivan ended up watching from the balcony when I got the trophy on Sunday because he needed a ‘comfort break’, and I’m glad he at least got to see the presentation. It was the end of a good week for the team.

Queen’s Club means a lot to me and to be the first player to win the title there five times is special.

To have two of the best players in the history of the game in Ivan and John McEnroe watching from courtside was pretty cool too.

I was obviously aware that John was there but I don’t normally look at the opposition’s box, even if there is a legend wearing a New York baseball cap!

I always try to focus more on the opponent and sometimes towards my own box for encouragement. I don’t think anything good comes from concentrating on your opponent’s team.

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The match itself gave me a real confidence boost as beating someone as good as Milos Raonic in that form showed me my best tennis is there – I just need to find it consistently.

When you’re up against one of the best servers in the game on a grass court, matches can get away from you without you having done much wrong. That happened to me against Roger Federer at Wimbledon last year.

But I always think the return is the best part of my game and, although obviously I won’t break serve in every match, in 99 out of 100 I will create break points. That means, regardless of the position, I need to keep telling myself the chances will come.

That’s easier said than done when you’re seeing serves fly past you at 135mph, but it’s what you’ve got to do.

I thought Milos served extremely well on Sunday and I was still able to turn the match around, so that’s a real positive to take away with me.

‘I used to go to bed at midnight, now it’s 10.30pm’

It was nice to have my wife and daughter with me at Queen’s on Sunday and it will be a new experience for me to head into Wimbledon as a father.

I’m getting used to some slight changes of routine at home, most notably my sleeping pattern!

I used to go to bed around midnight and get up at 9am, whereas now it’s more like 10.30pm or 11pm and I get up at 7.30am, to spend a little bit of time with my daughter before I leave the house. If I get up later then I don’t get to see her during a day like Sunday.

I certainly couldn’t have asked for a more memorable first Father’s Day, winning a trophy and spending time with my family.

Hopefully the next few weeks will be just as rewarding.

Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Piers Newbery.

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