Latest news with #grassCourts
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Queen's hosts women's tennis for first time in 52 years – with equal prize money on the horizon
For a venue steeped in pomp and splendour – an old-school members' spot constantly eyeing ways to refresh – there is something new coming this week at Queen's Club. For the first time in 52 years, the women take centre stage on the pristine grass courts in the high-flying west London neighbourhood. The last time a women's event was played at Queen's, under the title of the 1973 London Grass Court Championships, Russian player Olga Morozova won the singles title. And a matter of months before she won the famous Battle of the Sexes contest against Bobby Riggs in Houston, which catapulted women's tennis into the mainstream, Billie Jean King won the doubles at Queen's alongside fellow American Rosie Casals. Times have clearly changed, but the sprinkling of top-tier stardust has not. For tournament director Laura Robson, the former world No 27 and Wimbledon junior champion, attracting the biggest names in the game was a process which started last year. Australian Open champion and close friend Madison Keys has clearly spread the word, with 10 of the world's top-20 signing up to play. It's an impressive feat which should not be taken for granted, given the tournament starts a day after the second Grand Slam of the year concluded at Roland Garros. Among the star names featuring are home favourites Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu, with the latter requiring a wild card such is the strength of the draw. 'It's going to be really great for all the players involved,' says Robson. 'You've got a brand new tournament, at WTA 500 level, and it's on the most perfect grass courts. That's how I've sold it to the players. 'It's a men's club so the logistics have been hard, they're used to having their own space when the tournament is on. We've taken over the women's dressing room for the first time, which was harder to get over the line than you might think. 'But it's been easy so far. The general consensus is that everyone is excited to have this new event.' For the LTA's vision of a London festival of tennis ahead of Wimbledon, there have been consequences for the grass court season across the UK. The previous premier WTA event, at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, has been downgraded to an ITF/Challenger event below tour-level. The knock-on impact is that the popular Surbiton Trophy in Surrey has been discontinued altogether. The move has been made to increase eyeballs on women's tennis, amid the cosy surroundings of Barons Court in the capital. In line with the men's event, matches will be aired on the BBC this week and more than 80% of tickets have been sold. Moreover, on Thursday, the LTA made a significant pledge: equal prize money between the two events by 2029. 'That's always my hope across the tour,' says Robson. While all four Grand Slams have identical pay-checks for men and women, the ATP and WTA do not have a similar agreement for joint-tournaments. This week, the total women's prize pot is £1.042m, a figure voluntarily increased by the LTA and a tour-high for a WTA 500 event. Yet it still falls far short of the £2.124m purse that the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper will compete for next week. 'The WTA are looking at investment coming in to try and have equal prize money,' Robson adds, prior to the 2029 announcement. 'It's an issue all year round, not just for Queen's.' It feels significant, too, that on day one of this new event, the club's 10,000-capacity stadium court will be renamed to honour a five-time Queen's singles champion and one of women's tennis' biggest backers in modern times. For what used to simply read 'Centre Court' now reads the 'Andy Murray Arena'. The two-time Wimbledon champion, who retired last year, will be present on Monday for a short ceremony. All the attributes are present at Queen's, often voted by the men as their favourite tournament of the year, for a terrific fortnightly spectacle. A big-ticket company, in HSBC, are sponsoring the event. Advanced grass court preservation methods have alleviated concerns over the condition of the courts by the second week. And further down the line, Robson is keen to take the ' WTA best tournament' tag, currently held by the green clay courts of Charleston in the United States. A step at a time, though. However, one element Robson cannot control is the weather. a fact she knows all too well from her previous two years as tournament director at the Nottingham Open. Fortunately, though overcast, the weather largely looks free of rain for the week ahead. 'I felt I had two years of weather which was utter trash!' Robson says of her time in charge at Nottingham. 'Fingers crossed we have sunshine because we don't actually have any backup. In Notts, I had to move matches and finals indoors. So long as it's not that stressful!'
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Watch: Queen's Club - Women's Event Day One
Update: Date: 12:48 BST 8 June Title: The Queen's champion who reigned for half a century Content: Written by Sophie Brown & Laura Scott BBC Sport 1973 Queen's Club Championships, London, Saturday 23rd June 1973. Olga Morozova, Women's Final When Olga Morozova lifted the biggest trophy of her career, she might not have thought she would be the reigning champion for more than 50 years. But next week she will finally lose her crown when the Queen's Club Championships stages a women's event for the first time since 1973. The winner will get a new trophy, which has the previous champions engraved on it, as the original one could not be located. And the tennis world itself is also a different one to Morozova's days of wooden racquets and taking public transport to events. As Queen's prepares to welcome today's players to its grass courts on Monday, Morozova reflects on a time when rain meant matches were moved indoors on to a tricky wooden court, the event was sponsored by a tobacco company and her prize money for the title was £1,000. To continue reading, click here. Update: Date: 14:57 BST 6 June Title: Who to watch Content: BBC Sport Brits in Action The British women's number 1, Katie Boulter, will be looking to continue her good form on grass having won the Nottingham Open for the previous two years. She will be looking to be the first British women to win the event since Ann Haydon-Jones in 1969 and follow in her footsteps of winning both the Queen's Club Championship and Wimbledon in the same year. British men's number 1, Jack Draper, is looking to continue his fine year with another win before Wimbledon. Draper won at Indian Wells earlier this year beating Holger Rune in straight sets and currently sits 5th in the world rankings, the highest of his career. Best of the rest American Madison Keys won her first grand slam this year, winning the Australian Open in January. She'll be eyeing up her second grand slam at Wimbledon and a win at Queen's could put her in a good position. Keys has previous success on grass from a 2023 Eastbourne win. World number two Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to continue his dominance on grass as he sets to defend his Wimbledon title for a second time. The Spaniard has won Queen's once before in 2023, the year he won his first Wimbledon grand slam. Katie Boulter, Jack Draper, Madison Keys & Carlos Alcaraz Update: Date: 14:51 BST 6 June Title: Get Inspired: How to get into tennis Content: Get Inspired#GetInspired How do I start? What is it? Is it for me? What to expect when I start? This video can not be played 'Tennis saved my life'
