Previewing the grass court season
AEGON TROPHY AND AEGON CHALLENGE – Nottingham, UK
When: 4/06/12 & 11/06/12
The lowdown: Back to back ATP Challenge and ITF women’s circuit events, Nottingham is well-known for having some of the best grass courts in the country, and as such is the perfect place for those ranked outside the top 50 to get some much-needed grass court practice as soon as their clay court season has come to an end.
Who’s playing: A lot of the Brits – Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong, Laura Robson, James Ward and more
Defending champions: Gilles Muller, Eleni Daniilidou, Dudi Sela, Elena Baltacha
Tickets: Entry to Nottingham is FREE
AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPS – London, UK
When: 11/06/12
The lowdown: As some players leave Paris to find their feet on grass in Halle, Andy Murray will relish the return home where a pair of four-time former Queen’s Club champions in the twilight of their careers await, eager for a crack at derailing the Briton’s pre-Wimbledon title defence.
Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt share a proud history on the green turf. Of active players, only Roger Federer, with an 11-2 grass court finals record, has more titles to his name. Hewitt boasts a perfect 7-0 record in grass court finals and Roddick 4-3, with Rafael Nadal next best, holding a 3-3 ledger.
Opening-round losses at Roland Garros were hardly unexpected and came as a blessing in disguise for Roddick and Hewitt, allowing them to shift their focus to a more realistic goal, making inroads deep into the Wimbledon-Olympics grass court stretch.
Both will have their work cut out as they bid to break the deadlock for a record fifth AEGON Championships crown, beginning at The Queen’s Club on 11 June. Both are unseeded and coming back from injuries and could run into the likes of top seed and defending champion Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Janko Tipsarevic or Juan Martin del Potro early on.
The AEGON Championships will be an early litmus test for Murray, before having to carry the weight of an expectant nation on the grandest of stages twice-over – first during his annual bid for an elusive Wimbledon crown and again three weeks later when the Olympics returns to the grass of the All England Club.
Who’s playing: Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Janko Tipsarevic, Juan Martin del Potro, Mardy Fish, Gilles Simon, Andy Roddick, LLeyton Hewitt.
Defending champion: Andy Murray.
Did you know?
- Four players have won Queen’s four times in the Open Era – John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick.
- Only two players have won singles and doubles in the same year – Pete Sampras in 1995 (doubles with Todd Martin) and Mark Philippoussis in 1997 (doubles with Patrick Rafter).
Tickets: You can purchase ground admission tickets, as well as any returned Centre Court and Court 1 tickets online.
Follow the event with the LTA Summer Events App
GERRY WEBER OPEN – Halle, Germany
When: 11/06/12
The lowdown: Winners of eight of the past nine Wimbledon Championships between them, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will contest the concurrent lead-up event in Halle, Germany – the Gerry Weber Open – where Federer will shoot for a record fifth title.
Who’s playing: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, Gael Monfils, Kei Nishikori, Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Haas.
Defending champion: Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Did you know?
- Four of the five times Roger Federer has won in Halle, he has gone on to win Wimbledon.
- There have been five German winners since the inaugural event in 1993 – Michael Stich (1994), Nicolas Kiefer (1999), David Prinosil (2000), Tommy Haas (2009) and Philipp Kohlschreiber (2011).
AEGON CLASSIC – Birmingham, UK
When: 11/06/12
The lowdown: The women get their first chance to pick up match-play on the grass at the Edgbaston Priory Club when the AEGON Classic in Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, begins on Monday.
Defending champion Sabine Lisicki, who followed up her Birmingham victory with a run to the semi-finals of the ladies’ singles and the final of the ladies’ doubles at Wimbledon last year, returns hoping to follow in the footsteps of former champions Maria Sharapova, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King in claiming the ultimate prize at Wimbledon.
Who’s playing: Sabine Lisicki, Daniela Hantuchova, Roberta Vinci, Elena Baltacha.
Defending champion: Sabine Lisicki.
Did you know?
- The origins of the modern game of lawn tennis are believed to have started in Edgbaston – the site of the AEGON Classic – as early as 1859.
- OR
- Formerly known as the DFS Classic, has been held at the Edgbaston Priory Club since 1982, where Billie Jean King was the tournament’s inaugural champion.
Tickets: Tickets for the 2012 AEGON Classic, Birmingham, are now on sale.
Online, Box Office: 0844 209 7359
Follow the event with the LTA Summer Events App
AEGON INTERNATIONAL – Eastbourne, UK
When: 18/06/12
The lowdown: Week two of the grass-court season brings the ATP and WTA tours together for the AEGON International at Eastbourne, in the United Kingdom and the UNICEF Open at `s-Hertogenbosch, in The Netherlands.
Last year’s Eastbourne champions Andreas Seppi and Marion Bartoli will attempt to successfully defend titles for the first time in their careers. Held as a combined men’s and women’s tournament since 2009, the seaside English town will also host Richard Gasquet, last year’s teenage Wimbledon quarter-finalist Bernard Tomic and Marcos Baghdatis, while defending Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion Petra Kvitova, Angieszka Radwanska and former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki will head the women’s field.
Who’s playing: Richard Gasquet, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Bernard Tomic, Marcos Baghdatis, Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, Ana Ivanovic.
Defending champion: Men: Andreas Seppi. Women: Marion Bartoli.
Did you know?
- Martina Navratilova holds the record for the most singles titles at Eastbourne with 11.
Tickets: Tickets for the 2012 AEGON International, Eastbourne are now on sale.
Box office: 0844 581 3015, Online
Follow the event with the LTA Summer Events App
UNICEF OPEN – `s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
When: 18/06/12
The lowdown: Across the channel at `s-Hertogenbosch, world No.5 David Ferrer leads the men’s field from Viktor Troicki, Juan Carlos Ferrero and defending champion, Dmitry Tursunov, while a trio of Grand Slam winners – Kim Clijsters, Sam Stosur and Francesca Schiavone – will hone their grass-court games on the eve of Wimbledon. The focus will be heavily on Clijsters who has long made it clear holding the Venus Rosewater Dish and winning an Olympic gold medal would be her overriding goals for 2012 before calling time on her career for a second time after this year’s US Open.
Who’s playing: David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Jurgen Melzer, Viktor Troicki, Kim Clijsters, Samantha Stosur, Francesca Schiavone, Dominika Cibulkova, Maria Kirilenko.
Defending champion: Men: Dmitry Tursunov. Women: Roberta Vinci.
Did you know?
- Former Dutch Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek and his half-sister Michaella Krajicek have both won the tournament on home soil, Richard in 1994, Michaella 12 years later.
